I Shall Fear No Evil
by allisonfreedman
Summary: Faith has made her daring escape but how long will it last as Eric is forced to continue hunting her down? If only she knew the circumstances. If only he knew how to reconcile. A sequel/continuation of Even Though I Walk Through the Darkest Valley.
1. Chapter 1

ISFNE Chapter 1

A/N: Hello! Welcome to the second part of my story. If you're seeing this and going "What? Second part?" I advise you read the first part (yeesh my early chapters are rough but plow through...they get much better I promise) which would be titled Even Though I Walk Through the Darkest Valley. For those of you who followed me over here, hi again! Thanks, you're the best. :) Hope you are up for more great story and terribly long dry spells...Hey at least I'm honest. Without further delay...Enjoy. :)

Allison (Faith) POV

The ride to Mark's house was surprising un-awkward as we were able to continue talking over our shared beliefs as I'd been deprived for so long of good company. I was amazed at this turn of events, so incredibly thankful that this had fallen into my lap, though something tug at me to know that this wasn't the final destination, merely a pit stop. If it was merely a time for recovery though I worried to think what my next step would be. God would provide, I was sure of it.

Kristi POV

I heard Mark park in the garage and Anna raced to the door to greet him, her adorable black curls bouncing, and shrieked happily as he came in, "Daddy! Daddy! Look! I made a new drawing at preschool today! It's us! See? You're right there," she pointed to a squiggly mess on the left side of the page. I smiled as he scooped her up and twirled her before shifting her to his side so he could hold her with one arm.

"I love it," he stated kissing her forehead as she giggled. "Hi, sweetheart," he addressed me, giving me a peck on the lips and then turning back toward the door. The girl, of course, I'd almost forgotten as I noticed her standing quietly looking a little lost. She was on the scrawny side and her hair was unkempt and greasy thrown up in a ponytail. She was wearing an oversized sweatshirt and some jeans that were wearing a little on the knees. But seeing her I understood what Mark had been talking about, she was different, there was something about her that was special. Right now she looked quite wary of what she'd walked into, scared that she was intruding. I'd have to change that for certain.

"Everyone, this is Allison, Allison, this is my wife Kristi, and this little monster," he said tickling Anna as she burst out in giggles again, "Is Anna. Anna, show Allison how old you are," He encouraged. Anna buried her head in 'daddy's' shoulder with another muffled giggle. Allison stepped forward a little with a smile on her face as Anna peeked up over Mark's shoulder and Allison stooped and tilted her head to meet Anna's eyes.

"How old, Anna?" she asked with an animated smile. Anna perked up and proudly held up four fingers with her usual announcement of "FO!" which made Allison laugh and then feign shock, "Wow! You're so OLD!" she said making Anna giggle yet again.

"Alright, squirt, why don't you go wash your hands for dinner, okay?" I said prompting Mark to let her down as she scampered off, "Walk!" I scolded half-heartedly after her. "Hi, Allison, it's nice to meet you," I said finally addressing the girl.

"It's lovely to meet you...what am I to call you?" she said politely, the animation I'd seen in her face gone and replaced again with wariness of being an unwanted houseguest.

I tried to ease her fear, "Kristi will be just fine," I answered gently, "We're about to eat dinner but if you'd like to get cleaned up or anything feel free."

She shifted and flashed me a sheepish smile, "Well, if I don't smell too offensive I'd love to join you guys for dinner."

I gave an internal sigh of relief at her small attempt to make us laugh. To be honest I'd hoped she'd dine with us but hadn't wanted to push her if she was feeling a bit overwhelmed or uncomfortable. She seemed in great need of company.

Allison (Faith) POV

I walked in to find a family and was acutely aware of the fact that I was very possibly intruding on it. There was a women standing at the island in the kitchen right behind where we'd come in through the mud room. She was taller than I with dark hair that fell in lovely waves, coffee colored skin, and a smile that sat contently on her face as Mark walked through the door and was practically tackled by a little girl. The girl's hair curled in much tighter ringlets than her mother's and bounced with her as she ran up to greet her dad with pure joy. It twisted my gut slightly, to see such a moment played out, I zoned out of the scene for a moment or two as I wallowed momentarily before I heard myself being introduced. I quickly reengaged and smiled at little Anna's introduction as she was encouraged to tell me how old she was, something that was obviously a point of pride for her. She giggled and buried her head into Mark's shoulder and I stepped forward a little bending to meet her little brown eyes that peeked back up at me momentarily. I put on my best babysitter face and voice, "How old, Anna?" encouraging her some more and simultaneously trying to get her to laugh. She perked up and smiled at me and proudly announced she was "FO!" as she put it, which, in turn, made me laugh, forgetting where I really was.

I was quickly pulled out of it when Mark sent Anna to go wash her hands and I found I was going to be introducing myself to his wife. I stumbled after she addressed me, not wanting to come off as presumptuous with using her first name, thankfully she seemed to sense my worry and assured me that referring to her as "Kristi" would be just fine. She seemed pleasant and welcoming but I was wary, knowing that I was barging in on her household but she seemed persistent in letting me feel invited to participate in the family dinner, for which I was very grateful as I was still quite hungry.

After saying grace we started digging into the chicken dinner as we sat around the dinner table. It was, of course, delicious, probably because I was still starving but also because Kristi had prepared it so well. I peeked over at little Anna who was surprisingly quiet and happy to be at the dinner table and was peeking at me with a cute little smile.

"So, Allison, Mark mentioned that you had memorized some Scripture, how much have you worked on?" Kristi asked, trying ease us into a conversation.

"Um..well I've memorized a lot of different parts I guess. I really like Philippians, or really anything written by Paul." I tried to state without bragging.

"She's being too modest, Kristi, she's memorized the whole book of Philippians and is working on James as well," Mark interjected with enthusiasm.

She looked thoroughly impressed; I felt thoroughly embarrassed. " And you're how old? That's amazing, Allison!"

Old...that was a strange question...it wasn't but, I had no idea of the date. I realized I hadn't kept tabs on my imprisonment at all. It had been long surely but..how long. Had my birthday passed? This was insane. "This is, um, embarrassing at best but what's the date?" I asked in response.

"It's the 13th of May, why?" Kristi responded looking concerned.

No, it couldn't be. I counted back the days. Yep. What a sick, birthday present that had been. I'd almost been raped on my birthday. Well, made sense as to why I'd had no thoughts as to when my birthday was approaching. "Well, if it's really the 13th that makes me 17," I finally answered.

They thankfully didn't question my strange reply but continued to converse, talking instead about James as a message idea for the youth group Mark headed and how he was planning on finishing up the Beatitudes.

Anna started to get fussy so they went ahead and excused her and I soon followed asking where I could (finally) shower.

Maxwell POV

We traveled back to the manor in relative silence, the master had barely spoken a sentence since the fiasco at the hotel. She was gone. What had possessed her to run? And how in the hell had she pulled it off so flawlessly when she was so in the dark? I wanted to hate her. With every fiber of my being I wanted to hate her and curse her for what she was putting us all through, but then...I knew what she'd been through and I couldn't bring myself to blame her at all. She'd gone off of what she knew and based on only what she knew, she had every right to escape. Hell, if there hadn't been so much going on behind her back I'd've helped her! But she didn't have the full picture, and we did. She wasn't safe as far as we were concerned. Yet, we had nowhere to start. Eric certainly wasn't helping. He seemed to be in shock at best. We figured we'd get back to the manor and let things sit until we could come up with any form of a plan, and until Eric could recover and would reassert himself as the leader he was, or at least used to be. Hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Chapter 2 yay! This ones a little bit of filler stuff until I plan out how everything in my head is going to pan out in my chapters. Not to say this chapter isn't important cuz it definitely has things in it that are important or foreshadow important things. Enjoy!

Kristi POV

The next I saw of the girl was when she came downstairs the next day around noon. She apologized for oversleeping saying that her internal clock was a mess as she'd crossed a few time zones. Anna seemed uncannily happy to see her and surprised her and me by running up and giving her a hug.

"Allison! You come draw with me? Pleeeeease," She pleaded.

Allison looked a little bewildered and I jumped in, "Honey, she hasn't even eaten yet! Let her have her breakfast."

Seeing Anna's disappointment though Allison surprised me squatting down to Anna's level, "Maybe after I talk with your mommy for a little bit and eat we can do something, okay?" She said with a small smile.

Anna perked up again and nodded her head enthusiastically before running off to her room.

Allison stood up and looked over to see confusion written on my face. "Anna's really sweet," she said with a small smile.

"I've never seen her quite like this though," I said honestly, "she seems to have taken quite a liking to you."

"I don't know, I've always gotten along with kids pretty well but not this well," she said with a nervous laugh.

"She's got a gift for finding good people, whether it's in the line at the grocery store or the person waiting at the stoplight next to us," I said with a smile, trying to reassure Allison.

A silence settled for a minutes, maybe two before she piped up, "Kristi, is there any chance you could drive me to the store?"

"What type? I have about an hour before I drop Anna off for a play date."

"Just any old convenience store will do. Also, weird question but do you cut hair at all?"

"Heavens no, Im no good with a scissor, I have a hairdresser do it, why?"

"I just-" she stopped short looking a little embarrassed, "well, I'd really like to change my appearance...slightly...a lot. I'm worried about-"

"About your boyfriend coming after you," I finished for her, "I totally understand your fear of that but don't you think that's a bit drastic?"

"The following or the hair?" She questioned.

I smiled a little at that, "both."

She sighed, "I can't be too careful to be honest, Kristi," she said suddenly seeming to age before my eyes. She'd learned things, experienced things that were well beyond her years and though she still seemed to have life to her she had an air to her of maturity and weariness. She hid it well, but I knew whatever she'd experienced had truly taken its toll on her. I was brought back from my pondering as she seemed to suddenly shake off the darker thoughts that had come over her and smiled shyly at me, "Besides, the way I see it I can make this a sort of symbolic starting over sort of deal. I've never really done anything with my hair so it'll be kinda fun!"

I couldn't argue with that logic. She had a little money from who knows where and insisted that she was going to find a cheap hair dye and cut her hair herself but I refused. She was going straight to my hairdresser; my treat.

Eric POV

I dismissed Caleb when we returned to the manor. He was of no use at this point in my operation. He seemed happy to be relieved of his duty though he promised to be ready at a moments notice.

I tried to do the same for Marissa but she stubbornly refused.

"I'm going nowhere, Eric. I was part of finding her, I failed in her escape, and I'll be damned if I'm not a part of recovering her. I'm seeing this through."

That front was pointless to push. That, of course, left Maxwell who was as vital as ever in tracking down Faith. She was lucky that was certain. Leaving in the middle of completing our bond. I had no way of finding her, no aura, no bond; nothing outside of conventional means. But everything left a trail, it was only a matter of finding it.

Allison (Faith) POV

I looked at my hands with apprehension wondering what had been done to my hair, I'd been in the salon for over an hour and had two different stylists work on my hair, I was ready to look into a mirror, but also feared seeing something I'd hate. I'd walked into a small salon with Kristi and Anna and been surprised to find they all knew Kristi personally. We were the only ones there on a Thursday afternoon. The staff consisted of a receptionist and two stylists who all seemed incredibly happy to see us. They asked Kristi about me and cooed over Anna a little before they all walked me over to the salon chair. Kristi gave me a encouraging pat told the staff to take care of me whatever I needed and that she'd come back for me in about an hour and a half and cover the bill. Anna hugged me quickly and ran after her mommy.

I'd been left with the two stylists, one a smaller Spanish lady named Esther with dark brown hair and eyes to match with a pair of glasses in front of them. The other a man named Donny who was in about his 40s with tanned skin and salt and pepper hair. I nervously let down my hair from the bun I'd put it in and told them to have fun. They stared for a moment and asked what I meant. "Make it different. Not unconventional different but do whatever you think will look the best with my face and coloring. My only two stipulations: color it and don't shave anything." They stared a little more and then excitedly started brushing out my hair and chatting with each other, parting it in different manners and turning me every which way to study my features. Donny took command first explaining that he was better at coloring. I'd gotten one last look at myself and then I was whisked off to the sink. My hair was washed and colored, though what color I had no clue, Donny smiled as I asked, "It'll be a surprise."

"As long as it's not outlandish I'm sure I'll like it."

"It's very much in-landish," he'd promised with a wink.

I was handed over to Esther for cutting which had taken a while. All I knew was I had hair resting on my forehead which meant bangs and that my head was lighter. Donny came by for the drying process as they'd put final touches on my hair and here I was turned around, cape off, facing the mirror, excited and terrified to see what they'd done.

I looked up and almost did a double take. My hair was longer than I'd thought it would be and my bangs...wow. My hair had been almost to my waist before and now it fell slightly past my shoulders in a chestnut brown instead of my usual dirty blonde. The bangs were the best part though. Esther had left long pieces to frame my face on the side and the bangs on my forehead fell only slightly above my eyebrows (which Donny had made blend with my new hair color) and parted beautifully wherever I wanted as they quickly demonstrated. I was speechless, wait, I was crying with joy. I hugged both Donny and Esther and thanked them profusely. When Kristi walked in not two minutes later, I was still sitting in the chair looking into the mirror playing with my new hair in disbelief. Anna couldn't stop touching it either she loved it.

"It really suits you, Allison," Kristi said warmly. And I finally believed it, it did suit Allison. The violet eyes did not, but those would come later.

"Here's to new beginnings," I whispered to myself with a smile as I playfully tossed my new bangs.

It was time to move.


	3. Chapter 3

ISFNE Chapter 3

Maxwell POV

We landed in Liverpool having finally traced Faith's ticket transfer. It had waited much too long but now we finally were on the right track. We had alerted a small number of allies in England of our search, though hadn't specified why or what she was. So far we'd heard nothing but knowing there was others out looking for Faith was comforting, it was a needle in a haystack at best.

Eric was still furious to say the least but he had an air of tiredness to him; our Dracula had yet to resurface.

Eric POV

Faith had closed off all communication with me and I had refused to contact her for the past week out of pure frustration. We were searching currently in England but I knew better. Faith wasn't here. She was too careful, she would have anticipated our ability to track her ticket transfer. But there was also the off chance that she was counting on that. I cursed myself for the umpteenth time for having held off on our final bonding, she would have been secured by now if I hadn't. But I knew that it wouldn't have been right. She was too young, she didn't understand, and I desperately wanted to have her willingly bind herself to me. It seemed a pipe dream now. Instead I had let the most powerful mate in existence, perhaps in history, slip through my fingers and had let her escape into the world unbound, power unlocked, free for the taking.

It wasn't my finest moment.

I could only hope this stayed unknown. As long as she didn't do anything stupid she would stay an anonymous mortal unable to be used against me; assuming she didn't take it upon herself to bring me down. I shook my head, though she had the means to cripple me I doubted she knew it or would try. She was trying to disappear not overthrow me. I laid back on the bed of our latest hotel room and folded my arm behind my head. It'd only been three different hotels so far and I was already tired. I was tired of silence. A week had felt like a century. I closed my eyes and reached out through the link.

 ** _Faith..._**

Allison POV

"YOU'RE IT," Anna yelled, running off with a scream.

"I'm going to get you, ya rascal!" I said with playful ferocity as Anna giggled from behind a tree. "But wa..." I exclaimed in false surprise, "where did she go?"

Another giggle from the other end of the park.

Playing tag with me in the park had become Anna's new favorite pastime and I honestly loved every moment with her. She was sweet, adorable, and well behaved and for unknown reasons had a distinct affinity for me. I quietly snuck up on her tree and caught her by surprise as she let out a shriek and started giggling profusely as she fell to the grass. "Now you run!" She said with a smile.

I shook my head with a smile as I sat down in the grass next to her. "Anna I'm going to take a little break okay?"

She plopped down next to me still grinning, "Okay!"

We sat for a while watching someone playing fetch with their dog on the other side of the park before I addressed her, "Anna, I'm going to be leaving soon."

She looked over at me questioningly, "Fo a lil while?"

"No, Anna, for...well for a really long time," I said, not having the heart to tell her it'd likely be years until I'd see her again, maybe never.

"But you come back, Ally, wight?" She looked completely crestfallen. She'd taken to calling me "Ally" instead of "Allison" but it came out more like "A-we" because she still had trouble with "L's" and "R's".

I gave her a sad smile, "I'll try." That seemed to satisfy her and she smiled again at me. "Let's get going, kiddo, it's almost dinnertime," I said changing the subject. I still needed to talk to Mark and Kristi and thank them for their hospitality but I felt the distinct need to settle elsewhere, somewhere I'd be invisible in the masses.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

I went to bed that night after talking to Mark and Kristi about my thoughts and they'd surprised me again by presenting me with an envelope.

"It's a small offering the youth group wanted to take after I told them about you. We threw in a little as well. It'll cover the cost of your plane ticket anywhere in the states," Mark explained. I stood there speechless and then turned on my brain again trying to understand what he was saying; my ticket was paid for. Honestly, with this streak of luck I was having I should use it all on the lottery. No it wasn't luck it was a blessing. I laid back in the dusky room, the sun barely beneath the horizon, feeling completely at peace for a precious moment.

 ** _Faith..._**

And then that moment ended abruptly. What was he doing now? He'd gone silent on me since his promise to track me down and now he was dropping in again? After a week? Did I dare respond? What could it hurt though.

 ** _Yes?_**

 ** _Good, you're still there,_** he said sounding genuinely relieved, and unnervingly melancholy.

 ** _Why wouldn't I be?_** I asked carefully.

 ** _It's been a week, love._**

 ** _I know,_** I responded softly.

 ** _A week I've wasted look for you in Moldova and England._**

 ** _Moldova? Why would I go to Moldova?_**

 ** _You think I would have asked myself the same question,_** he said tiredly. The humor was hollow though, no one was laughing on either side of this. **_It's where your locket ended up, he supplied._**

Eric POV

She said nothing in response to that. I don't know what I expected her to say though. **_You didn't have to do that, Faith, I know how much that locket meant to you._** Little did she know I was toying with said locket at this moment. I opened it, looking at the miniature Faith seated between her parents. I was determined to return it to its owner.

 ** _It was tagged,_** she finally replied.

 ** _That could have been easily removed,_** I retorted, suddenly feeling a bit of my anger return. She wasn't fooling me. Something was up. **_Why did you leave it, Faith?_**

 ** _I told you already,_** she responded weakly.

 ** _Forgive me for not believing your half-baked response._**

 ** _What does it matter, okay? It's gone,_** she said, i could feel the panic, loss, and sadness flowing through my tap on her emotions. Was she crying?

 ** _Faith are you-_**

 ** _Shut up._** She interrupted, her voice straining to not waver, trying to compose herself. **_Where are you?_**

 ** _I'll tell if you will,_** I said cheekily, trying to cover my concern, and failing.

 ** _Har har,_** she said without humor. **_Have fun in Liverpool though, I'm guessing you just picked up on my ticket transfer_**. A small sniffle. She had definitely been or was still crying.

 ** _I knew you wouldn't be one to stay here, not when you knew we could trace you._**

 ** _Or maybe I'm counting on you thinking that and am staying in the same hotel as you, holed up in my room because I saw you check in._**

 ** _Hence why I am still here, love. I won't be giving you updates of my whereabouts anymore though in case you'd decide to up and leave whatever it is you're doing. And if you're not in England now maybe you'll just fly here in a month or two knowing I've already searched here._**

 ** _You make it sound like we're playing a glorified version of hide and seek,_** she said with scorn.

I gave a hollow laugh at that analogy. **_Except you've put no boundaries on the playing field._**

 ** _This isn't a game,_** she bit back at me in indignation.

 ** _I'm well aware, love. It never was._**

She huffed, **_are we done? I'd very much like to get back to my life._**

 ** _I'll be staying in contact, but, yes, get back to the fabulous life you must be living on the run._**

I felt her frustration and knew she was biting back a retort.

Allison POV

How dare he. He'd brought up the stupid locket. I hadn't realized how much I'd been repressing myself with letting that thing go. It had hurt like hell. It was a piece of me that I would never recover, something I had treasured for years. I'd started crying when he'd mentioned where it had ended up, knowing I would never get it back. And then he'd tried to dog me for a response. I couldn't give one to him besides my knowledge of it being tagged. Why had I ever told him of its importance to me? He would figure out why I'd left it, he'd piece it together. Besides the cross necklace from my mother, which he'd already gotten rid of, it was the strongest connection to my past, my life as Faith Allison. But that was gone. And so was my locket. Nothing given, nothing gained. I turned over onto my other side, pulling the covers up to my face and wiping at the tears away that refused to stop falling.

A/N: yay for another chapter! For everybody following, thanks so much, it means the world to me. And to everyone asking for an update schedule...I don't have one, if I did it would just lead to disappointment for everyone involved. So, sorry, no schedule, whenever I can pump out a chapter I do. It's just how it goes unfortunately. Thanks so much for continued support. :)


	4. Chapter 4

ISFNE Chapter 4

Marissa POV

We moved out the next week. I, for one, was happy to leave; Faith wasn't here. Eric was finally starting to think of her at the level she deserved. But we had no idea where to start, Faith was unpredictable at best. And though she was American she definitely could take advantage of living elsewhere in the world. We had no move, which Eric and Max would never admit, so we went home and hunted to clear our heads before starting in on our search. It was going to be a long while.

Mark POV

Allison was gone the next day and had left a lovely note for us, though it had absolutely no details of where she was going. She thanked us profusely, hoping to one day pay us something is return and had left a little apology for Anna as well which was read to her. She promised to call us when she was safe and at the bottom she'd put a verse, Philippians 4:13. All we could do for her now was pray.

Eric POV

Something wasn't sitting right with me. It had been a week and a half since I'd reached out to Faith and there something about the exchange that I couldn't quite my finger on. It felt like she'd tipped her hand in some way, I just didn't know how. She'd been so off since, well, since a long time. She wasn't eating well, I'd found her crying in the bathroom, and she was still being persistently secretive even when I'd confronted her about it those few weeks ago.

I was pacing around my office, high on the adrenaline and energy of the blood I'd just enjoyed. I usually wouldn't go hunting this often but the stress was draining; I needed myself on full alert if I was going to ever find a lead. I looped through the conversation in my head again thinking through what I'd sensed or done after each response. There was just something about that locket. She'd found out it was tagged but yet she'd thrown the whole thing away. There was a strong connection to her past life in that locket, a life she likely wanted back. So why would she-

I stopped short. Maybe she didn't want back. Maybe that was the whole point of this: starting over. Faith Allison no longer existed in the mortal world - I'd made sure of that - but what if she was taking advantage of it?

Allison POV

I was stuck in the airport bathroom, and I was an absolute mess. I'd decided to leave the morning after Mark and Kristi's generous gift but had woken up early that morning feeling like crap. I'd immediately run to the bathroom barely making it in time to be sick. It was an awful start to my day. I'd finally pulled myself together enough to call a cab and arrive at the airport only to immediately run to the bathroom again. And now I had no idea when I would be able to leave. "It's just the nerves, it's just the nerves, it's just the nerves," I repeated to myself as a mantra, though tears were streaming down my face. It wasn't. I knew it now, I'd known it then when I'd broken down in Eric's bathroom weeks ago. And to think I'd almost told him… How would he have reacted? Best not to dwell on the what if's. I brushed my shaking hands through my hair and slowly got up of the bathroom floor, methodically smoothing out my clothes and trying to get my sobs under control. Once I was certain that I was not going to be sick again I exited the stall and pressed cool paper towels to my red face. I scrutinized myself in the mirror as I stood in front of the sink. Still nothing. I had to be making this up. I looked myself straight in the eyes and pulled the paper towel away from my face. "It's just nerves," I stated to myself with determination - willing myself to believe the hollow promise. I turned, throwing the paper towel away, and walked out without a backward glance.

Eric POV

I pressed my hands into my face as I sank into my chair with the realization. Of course. Of course she would do this. There was nothing left to go on. Faith Allison was gone.

I would have to trap in our connection, it was tricky business to get her to establish herself outside her mind. I couldn't force my way into her mind, that would harm her, possibly irreparably. No, I'd have to catch her in limbo, get her to cross our connection. I sighed heavily again; the girl would be the death of me. I'd have to write extensively about the trouble millennial mates caused to warn anyone who came after myself. If I could just get us to work though, everything would be worth it. Everything.

A/N: hey guys! Hope everything is going well for you guys. I tried not to have this update take too terribly long. Sorry about how weird the timeline is in the story right now with Eric being ahead and us going back to look at what's going on with Faith/Allison but if I keep them exactly parallel right now too much will be going on so bear with me as I hopefully catch them up in the next chapter. Hopefully. Also,

**SMALL SPOILER**: all you asking about Faith/Eric. It will happen, but it's not going to be soon. They will talk but Eric's going to be searching for a while. There is method to this madness though. Promise! :)

Love you guys! See you soonish I hope. I *again* can't promise quick updates but I will try.


	5. Chapter 5

ISFNE Chapter 5

Allison POV

I'd make a mistake. Why had I thought I could hack it in the city? It had been forever since I'd eaten a decent meal and I was without shelter. The nights were freezing and I knew I was definitely sick. I coughed into my sweatshirt sleeve for what felt like the millionth time and what escaped went up in puffs of vapor; I needed somewhere warmer than the airlocks I'd been able to camp in. I'd lost track of the days again and to top it all off for tonight, it was starting to sleet. I was quickly soaked to the bone and shivering up a storm. Everything was closed as I stumble down the small street of shops, my steps becoming more and more uneven, each move a struggle my shivering was so intense. I finally turned down a street to shield the worst of the wind and tried to control my trembling limbs. I'd been out in the weather for hours and needed to start scrounging for a place I could rest. I was so tired…so so tired. I started to feel warmer and my shivering subsided. And suddenly all went black.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

I woke hazily and found myself on a couch with an older lady hovering over me with a bowl in hand and a blanket over her arm. I weakly fumbled to sit up and she quickly came to my aid. "Oh dear, I'm so glad you're awake, I was worried I was going to have to call the hospital seeing as you passed out on my doorstep," she said gently as she quickly unfurled the blanket and laid it over my shoulders. I didn't even feel it.

"I…what…where-" I tried before breaking into a fit of coughs.

"There there, you're just fine. Probably a cold. Now, eat some soup and warm up, I will be right back." She said setting the bowl she held on a small coffee table in front of me and disappearing down a hallway opposite me. Everything seemed to be happening in a weird sensory slow motion so I could barely process what I was seeing and hearing. I was in a bookstore? I was lying on a couch. The counter was opposite me with a hallway behind it that turn a corner, I had no idea to where. But everywhere there were books. Shelves and shelves of them. That seemed to be the only thing I could process. I think I blacked out for a moment or two but woke as I fell into another fit of coughs and felt a wave of nausea hit me as it had at the airport but I fought both. Why couldn't I feel the blanket? Was this a dream? Everything was so hazy. Just then I heard a door open and close from down the hallway behind the counter.

"Grams! I'm back!" I heard a voice call down the hallway followed by footsteps. A man came around the corner. He was older than I with unruly dark hair and thickly framed glasses. He was tall, though not as tall as Eric, with a lanky build to him and was dressed in a raincoat though he was mostly hidden by the counter. His gaze met mine and narrowed instantly, "Who are you?"

Eric POV

I needed to research. It had been two weeks since returning to the mansion and I felt like I'd been going around in circles. I'd heard nothing about Xavier's following though had scouts everywhere in search of them. And I'd been working on how to get Faith into a limbo through our connection for what felt like forever. Maybe some review would do me well.

I went for the records in the library, unlocked the shelf, and searched out the reference book I needed. Vladimir and Mina. I'd read it many times, most without much thought of what information it truly contained. I'd read every account, it was my duty as Dracula to know about my predecessors and their brides. These records served as history books of sorts and were carefully logged and guarded by each Dracula so that brides could be better understood as a concept. Draculas and their brides were a truly intriguing history, incredibly intertwined with many historical events, but even after centuries, shared brides were still somewhat unknown territory and millennials were practically mythical. In truth, it was my duty to log about my own new bride, one that I'd been shirking for months. I grabbed the book I'd come for and upon withdrawing my hand my fingers brushed the short book on the end of the shelf. _Eric and Elizabeth_. I let my free hand caress the spine and my breath hitched in my throat, memories flooding into my thoughts at the mere sight of her name. I thought to take it down and revisit it but I dropped my hand. Not today; not now. I closed the shelf up and retreated to the library desk with the log Vladimir had kept of his dealing with his bride. Maybe another look would garner some answers. Mina was all I had to reference.

Simon POV

I'd had to grab the groceries Grams had forgotten for this week's meals but I didn't mind. I pulled up to the back parking lot by the apartment entrance per usual and fumbled with one hand for my keys, dropping my student ID in a puddle in the process. I groaned as I balanced the grocery bag to grab it and finally got my keys out, letting myself into the apartment and finding it seemingly empty. I put down my keys and the grocery bag deciding to check the store; she must have gotten caught up restocking or something. I descended the staircase to the back of the store. "Grams! I'm back!" I called out as the door closed behind me. I walked down the hallway to check the store and found myself staring into an unfamiliar face laying on the couch in the sitting area. She was a bedraggled thing, hair stringy and hanging around her shoulders, bangs plastered to her face, and the sweatshirt and jeans she was wearing completely soaked and giving no hint as to what kind of form lay beneath them, a thin blanket draped over her shoulders. I was instantly wary; one could never be too careful when in the city. "Who are you?" I asked brusquely.

The girl made to answer me but suddenly erupted into a fit of coughs. "I'm…Alli-Allison, who'r you?" she tried to respond, her words slurring together.

Great, there was a drunk girl in the bookstore. I huffed in annoyance, this was not how I wanted to spend my evening. I turned and called out again, "Grams! Where are you?" I heard a thunk and the sound of ceramic shattering and turned back to the girl. A bowl of soup lay spilt all over the floor, the bowl in pieces, and the girl slumped on the couch shivering violently the blanket sliding off her shoulders and mostly on the floor.

I heard the apartment door shut and Grandma coming down the stairs. "Simon I can explain-" but I barely heard what she was saying I was so focused on the girl.

She, Allison apparently, was trying to sit up and whimpered as the blanket slid further from her. She was acting very strangely; I was starting to recognize it – symptoms, but what of?

I walked over to the girl to grab her blanket studying her carefully. Her lips had a bluish tinge to them, she was shivering, she definitely didn't smell like booze…and then I grabbed her wrist to check her pulse and all was made clear. I quickly scooped her up off the couch to carry her up the stairs and realized just how cold she was and worryingly light. She tried weakly to twist out of my grasp but gave up with a whimper as I shushed her gently as I could, "Hey, you're okay, you're going to be just fine, just let me help you." She tensed in my arms and I knew she would lash out at being carried if she had any strength.

 _Independent type_ , I thought to myself. "Grams! She's got hypothermia, make sure my bed is made up!" I yelled up.

"It is," she called down worriedly, "I just put fresh sheets on the other day."

Grams held open the door at the top and disappeared into the living area as I started toward my old bedroom. "Grab blankets!" I called out to her over my shoulder. The girl was drifting in and out of a hazy consciousness and was unconsciously clinging to me now for warmth. I quickly headed to the bedroom to set her down and almost bumping into Grams who was holding two thin blankets as I exited to go for my first aid kit. "Try to get her warm," I said putting my hands on her shoulders to slip past her as I went back out. I found it quickly, shucked my raincoat and boots and ran back with the thermometer in hand. Grams was in the room covering Allison with another thin blanket and informed me that the electric blanket was broken. I thanked her and sat down on the edge of the bed to take the girl's temperature. 85 degrees Fahrenheit, that was something I could handle. Grandma, after asking a couple dozen times if I had a handle on the situation finally left me to deal with my "patient" of sorts. So I got to work. Her clothes, which were still damp had to go. I sat her up against the headboard still mostly unconscious, knowing I should limit her motion, and moved to peel the wet sweatshirt off of her but she weakly protested pushing me away with a whimper. "Hey," I tried to coax her, knowing the state she was in left her unable to process much. "You need to get warm, alright? I need you to let me help you, do you understand? Will you let me help you?" I asked with as much calm and evenness as I could muster. She looked around in confusion, still obviously not processing what was going on. "Allison," I tried to get her attention. She turned and seemed to look through me rather than at me, "Allison," I tried again. Startling violet eyes locked with mine momentarily "Who-who's that?" she responded blearily before she drifted back into unconsciousness.

She didn't recognize her name. Either her hypothermia was more serious than I'd previously thought or she hadn't given me her real name before. I filed that away under "to consider later" and got back to the task at hand, gently peeling off both her sweatshirt and the t-shirt underneath it, both which were damp and cold.

"No…" she protested weakly and I shushed her as reassuringly as I could, "You're not going to warm up if you leave these on, okay?"

I removed her jeans next and quickly took off my sweater and pulled it over her head and threaded her arms through the sleeves, knowing it was already warm and dry. The button down I was left in would suffice for now. She was still shivering something awful. I had trouble finding her pulse but when I did it was too slow and faint. I had a last resort that I probably should have led with but was determined to save. I'd wait thirty minutes and check her temp again. I used those minutes to straighten the room as much as I could, put her sopping clothes into the dryer, and to run back out to my car for my laptop that I'd, by some godsend, left there instead of in my apartment. I double checked my diagnosis and looked at recovery tips. I'd been right, of course. I heard the dryer buzzer ring, so I went and grabbed her clothes, folding them up and putting them on the dresser as I waited for her thermometer reading. 88 degrees. Better but not enough.

I went down the hall to let Grams know about the girl's track of recovery saying that she could probably be in a right state of mind tomorrow morning if all went well. She thanked me and went to bed. What had possessed her to take the girl inside rather than call 911 was beyond me, but thankfully I knew what I was doing.

I went back into the room and found Allison in a shivering, fitful sleep. I quietly changed into some pajama pants and took off my button down. I sat down on the edge of the bed again and sat her up again, gently tugging off the girl's new sweater which she again protested weakly. I ignored her though, knowing that skin-to-skin contact was guaranteed to warm her up fastest. I'd left her in her underthings as to not invade her privacy more than I already had but knew that there wasn't much room for privacy when her health was such a concern. I moved her more toward the center of the bed and slid in next to her bracing myself for the chill of her body against mine. She was so cold and thin but I was grateful that as I pressed up to her she unconsciously relaxed into me, instinctively wanting to warm herself. Slowly our body heat and chill began to balance and her shivering slowly subsided allowing her to eventually fall into a peaceful sleep. I on the other hand, exhausted as I was from the stress of the past hour or so and the day in general, fidgeted trying to get comfortable without waking her up or letting my hand placement get too friendly. I eventually gave up and let my one arm curl under my pillow while the other draped across her torso and finally fell asleep with about a million questions for the morning.

Eric POV

I sat at the library desk and huffed in frustration. Nothing was clicking. I read the book cover to cover with nothing new to glean. But somehow I knew there was something I was missing. There was a huge piece of the whole puzzle with Faith and her escape that I wasn't factoring in. Something that changed everything. What it was though I had no clue. I was wracking my memory for anything but it was difficult to pinpoint anything. I could remember anything when I immersed myself in an exact memory but I had no idea where to start which made it all a blur. And then I realized what my answer was. I pushed my chair back and slid open the drawer of the desk. The tawny, leather-bound book was just where I'd left it. I remembered having it made as soon as I caught a tinge of her aura, the excitement I'd felt, the fact that I'd asked for a larger journal to be made instead of compiling pages as they came in the hopes that things would go differently.

 _Differently indeed…_ I thought wryly. I gently took it out, set it on the desktop and shut the drawer. I absent-mindedly flipped through the pages, all of which were eager to be filled by me. But where to start was another question. When I got her here? When I first saw her in that crowded school commons? When I'd first caught her scent?

I sat and pondered this for a while and then taking a pen, I flipped to the first page and began to write.

 _From the moment I found Faith I knew she was going to give me trouble, though I vastly underestimated just how much. That was my first mistake. Though I quickly found out she was a shared mate, making her more powerful, and after a tumultuous half year discovered she is likely even more, namely a millennial mate, what I have come to realize as I look back now is it is not this power she has most at her disposal. Faith's power, at this point, is much simpler than I would have guessed; it lies completely in expectations and that she adheres to none of them. In every moment, I have made judgments as to what she can handle, what she can accomplish, or what she will do, and she has destroyed each and every one of them leaving me constantly surprised. Underestimating Faith is the thing I find myself continually paying the price for and is a mistake I hope to not make again, though I am surely bound to do so. It has resulted in broken communication, an incomplete bond, and unspeakable pain for both my bride and myself. As I write this, I have no idea where she is and haven't for some time now. She does not want to be found, but find her I must, for her well-being and my own._

 _This, of course, is only my preface for the events that are to follow, how I have wronged my love and how underestimating her has plagued our relationship, for it is my duty to record what has passed between us, one that I have put off until this moment. I hope to discover some clarity by recording these things as I hope to impart some as well to those who will succeed me. And I hope, no, I almost pray that after I've recorded what has passed there will be much to record in the future, when we are reunited, that will not be full of brokenness and pain. For now, here is our history, as lived and remembered by me, Eric Sebastian Krev._

I sat back in the chair and reread my preface, letting the ink dry completely before turning to the next blank page and carefully writing out the title.

 _Eric and Faith._

A/N: Hi readers, so sorry for the insanely long and unplanned hiatus. A lot of things came up and I finally got around to getting back on fanfic at one point only to find all the files I'd stored here had expired; some of which were rough outlines of future chapters which I'm now going to have to recreate and then write chapters from simultaneously. So I'm really sorry. I mean, I never promised consistency because I'd never be able to deliver, but this was much longer than I ever meant it to be. I've got a lot personal stuff going on to deal with. So, again, I'm incredibly sorry. Thanks for still sticking around though I'm sure I drive you guys a little insane. Also, moment of mourning for the files I lost. I'm still kinda really upset about that. Oh well, what's done is done. I was going to put this up a while ago but then realized it needed a lot of tweaking which I've labored over the past couple of months and then I figured since I've been gone so long I needed to at least get the next chapters in the works. So there is my nebulous promise of future chapters, some of which are already written. Also, on a different note completely, yay for new characters! Lots of love -allisonfreedman


	6. Chapter 6

ISFNE Chapter 6

Allison POV

 _"NO, STOP! Please, why are you doing this?" I implored through tears._

 _His hand ran down my side. He was reveling in the moment, tracing my contours lightly, his hands taking in every inch of me. "You're so beautiful," he whispered softly as his hand wandered up the inside of my thigh and I cried out as it suddenly went where I'd never been touched before. "And all mine," he continued with a satisfied smirk as he repeated the motion. I moaned in discomfort but felt the strangest rush as he did so. Apparently he did too for his smirk widened. His weight shifted to one knee as he separated my legs I was trying so hard to keep intertwined. He stopped suddenly cupping my face in his hands and looking deeply into my eyes. He caressed my cheek stroking away my falling tears._

 _"Eric, you don't want to do this, please, PLEASE. Don't do this!" my pleas falling on deaf ears._

 _"Faith, why keep working against me? I don't want this fighting," his voice husky with emotion. "Why can't you join me? Save yourself the pain."_

 _"Eric, no, don't do this, I can't let you! It isn't right!"_

 _"I have no choice," he whispered quietly._

 _"WHY? You've taken everything from me already, why do you need more?!"_

 _ **Pleasure, Faith, it can all be pleasure,**_ _I felt him whisper into my mind._

 _"NO, NEVER. I WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING YOU!," I finally screamed at him._

I was jarred awake out of the middle of that awful memory. Slowly, the room came into focus. I was in a sitting room, one that I recognized. There were two love seats facing each other next to a cozy fireplace. I panicked. He'd found me, somehow he'd found me. How the heck had I ended up here? But as I started to look around I realized that it was not the actual room, it was subtly different in ways I couldn't put my finger on; a re-creation, obviously made with care but not meant to replace the original. So I was still asleep but I wasn't dreaming… where was I? It had to be part of the connection, meaning Eric would be here. Another wave of panic hit me as I realized my disguise was being revealed. My hair, my thin frame… I quickly screwed my eyes shut picturing myself as that girl - the girl I'd been in that nightmare. I remembered my long hair and my healthy figure and was relieved when I opened my eyes to find I had changed back. Well that confirmed that this was not a reality.

"Hello, Violet," I heard from behind me. I turned slowly knowing whom I would see. He stood by the fireplace leaning on the mantel, watching me quietly. How he had gotten here I had no clue; this was not my mind nor his and it didn't seem like a dream. I looked around again carefully trying to fathom what was going on. "It's a halfway room," he said answering my unspoken question. "They're quite difficult to achieve but I managed to construct one between us. Think of it as…neutral ground. This way, there's no invading minds, no one-sided conversations, and no lasting physical consequences." At this point he walked toward me a few paces to stand by one of the couches, "and there's, of course, the added bonus of seeing you, rather than merely hearing your voice."

I took this all in and tried to process it. As wonderful as this sounded in theory, I got the feeling there was some sort of catch. There was a reason I was here, not knowing what it was made me extremely wary. He'd been so angry when I'd first left - was he still? Was he planning on hurting me? Was he going to torture me for answers? He'd said 'lasting physical consequences' and that seemed like it needed further defining-

"I'm not," he said seemingly out of the blue. I turned and looked at him questioningly and he shrugged, "You're thinking very loudly, very one-track minded so I can still glean bits and pieces. You're also barraging me with fear and worry through my tap on your emotions. Let me reassure you these aren't my intentions." He paused looking at me in a way I didn't recognize and then gestured to the seats, "Won't you sit down?" he asked, though it obviously wasn't really a question.

I contemplated what he'd said, looking around the strange room again and quickly came to the conclusion that I was going to leave. I drew in a shaky breath, my nerves still on edge from the nightmare I'd come out of, my confidence shaken, "No, I don't think I will, unfortunately," I said turning away to look for a door. I immediately felt him grab my arm. Though a gentle grip it was startlingly corporeal, only further proving that this wasn't a dream; but he wasn't tugging me back, merely making me pause and I, to my own surprise, did.

"It's just talking, Faith, surely you can do that," he said evenly.

"Maybe I can't," I responded, my voice wavering.

"Faith, please."

That threw me for a loop; Eric didn't ask for things. He let his hand fall back to his side as I turned slowly and walked over to a seat, keeping my gaze down and in the back of my mind concentrating on keeping my disguise up. Silence fell between us, as it often did. I fiddled with my hands before finally folding them in my lap. I heard Eric sit down across from me though he seemed in no rush to break the silence…or maybe he didn't know how to. I did seem to have a knack for putting him at a loss for words.

I decided to go first, "How did I get here?" I said not looking up.

"Well, I worked on constructing this for a spell and I just had to wait for your consciousness to wander across the bond."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you were dreaming of me. The bond's only objective is bringing us together, so whether we are close physically or mentally it wants to open the path of our minds."

"Still not quite following…"

"I was pulled toward your dream…well, nightmare, since it involved me. I was able to see it, and therefore, with some difficulty, due to your general obliviousness to the task, bring you here where I created a space we can establish ourselves in. It should be much easier after this instance."

I fell silent taking in all he'd said. Trying to establish where I was. I was on our bond. I pictured it opening up onto the bridge between our minds and decided that would have to do. I truly didn't know what else to say.

"Why that nightmare, Faith?" he asked finally. "That one hasn't plagued you in months."

I laughed derisively, "Because I obviously have so much control over it and wanted to relive one of my worst nights," I bit out caustically. I fiddled with my hands again contemplatively, my tone softening considerably, "Besides, even if I did know, I surely wouldn't talk about it with the embodiment of my every nightmare."

"Are you still afraid of me?" he asked quietly.

"Don't you want me to be?" I said looking up to meet his gaze.

"Of course not," he stated.

"Then what were all the theatrics at the beginning of my abduction? Don't deny you wanted to scare me."

"I won't deny it, I did then. I don't now. But you didn't answer the question, love," he said, still remaining almost unnervingly calm and collected, "Are you afraid of me?"

Eric POV

I reveled momentarily in the victory of wrangling Faith's consciousness into establishing itself in this room. I had almost believed it wouldn't work for a while, and it had tired me enough that I couldn't establish myself in the room for a few minutes. But here she was looking like the same girl who'd escaped me almost a month ago, sitting across from me, seeming so close, yet so far away. And her thoughts had been partially correct; for the week it took for me to work on this aspect of our connection I intended to use it to interrogate her, to force her to give up her location, her name, or whatever else I could get out of her, but as I continued and thought through meeting with her I realized that would never work. I was going to find her one way or another, and I'd rather work toward making her more willing to come back than give her more reasons to fear me.

 _I will never stop fighting you…_ her words rang in my head all the more clearly from her nightmare. One that I thought she might have finally retired. She was avoiding my gaze completely, though it was intently fixed on only her. Though I'd had possible plans as to how this conversation would go it was all conjecture and I found myself barely able to start. So she started and I patiently explained, all the while silently pleading with her to look at me. She didn't. Silence fell again. That damned nightmare, it was always that one. Why couldn't that creative mind of her even invent something new? Why did it never change?

"Why that nightmare, Faith? That one hasn't plagued you in months."

She gave a humorless laugh, "Because I obviously have so much control over it and wanted to relive one of my worst nights," sarcasm saturating her every word. She paused and her tone softened considerably, "Besides, even if I did know, I surely wouldn't talk about it with the embodiment of my every nightmare."

 _I will never stop fighting you…_ where was that fight? I'd always seen it underlying her actions, and it was a terrifying thing indeed when it would erupt, but the girl in front of me was not fighting, she was cowering.

"Are you still afraid of me?" I asked as I came to that realization.

"Don't you want me to be?" she said finally looking up at me, pinning me with those violet searchlights.

"Of course not," I stated.

"Then what were all the theatrics at the beginning of my abduction? Don't deny you wanted to scare me."

I sighed at the memory of that. Yes, I remembered clearly that I did indeed want to scare her for a while. I hadn't known her then, and I hadn't wanted to, I'd only wanted her to submit, and I'd hoped if she feared me she'd submit to me. It had quite the opposite effect. But things were so obviously different now, why couldn't she see that?

"I won't deny it. I did then. I don't now. But you didn't answer the question, love," I said trying to keep my emotions under control. "Are you afraid of me?" I restated, fearing that I already knew the answer.

I saw her posture sag and her gaze fell to her lap again. "You ask that as if it's a simple question," she said with a sigh. She paused, waiting for my retort, but I stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt the struggle I sensed she was having internally.

"I-I don't really know, is my honest answer. I'm scared to death of what you are… capable of, and of what you've done to me, and what you would do to me if you found me-"

"When," I interrupted mildly. "When I find you." A mere gentle reminder that though my search had slowed it wouldn't stop.

Her eyes flitted up to meet mine briefly at that and fell back to her hands as she continued, "Well, I guess by all those accounts it is a 'yes' but…but there's definitely parts of you that I'm not afraid of." I saw a small smile grace her lips as she continued to take great interest in her hands, "I don't think I'm afraid of the man you are or used to be…because I think I see him every once in a while. And I'm not scared of him because he wants me to be happy. He wants me to be loved and cared for," she said her eyes meeting mine once more as she surprised me by standing up and walking over to the opposite couch where I was seated and cautiously sitting down next to me.

I scarcely dared to breathe for fear of spooking her.

"But I think," she began again, obviously choosing each word with care, "what he needs to realize, or rather, is consciously or unconsciously refusing to realize, is that I can't feel any of those things with him because of all the other parts of him that I fear."

"Faith, I was wrong. I was wrong to ever want you to fear me. And I can't tell you how much it has plagued me every single day since-" I stopped, unable to finish the thought. I gently reached out and took her hands in mine, "Faith, I love you, please see me as I am now. Come back to me, love. There is no pain or punishment awaiting you. Only a want for a future together."

She met my gaze with a sad smile, "I wish I could believe that, I do, but I can't have a future with you. I can't love you."

"Why not, Faith?" I asked, desperately searching her eyes.

"Because you don't love me, you're infatuated with me. You want to possess me and I can't stand the thought of being your belonging," she said an edge coming into her tone, "But even if what you say is true, I can't be sure of it because I can't risk believing you," she continued, finishing softly but with conviction, "I can't love someone I can't trust, Eric."

Her words felt like a slap to the face. The edge of harshness in her delivery and frankness in her tone had been awful enough, but then she had let my name fall from those beautiful lips once more. She never used my name unless she needed to, and with that one word that was so beautiful on her tongue, she branded yet another phrase into my mind forever. I scrambled to recover after having passed a minute or so in dumbstruck silence.

"But I don't want that for you, my love," I said gently moving my hands to cup her face. Her gaze dropped to the ground a frown creasing her brow. "I want us to build a foundation of trust so that we can move forward from it, but you left, before I could even start. I laid the beginning of the groundwork, promising you all your answers when you returned safely yet you decided they weren't worth sticking around for," I felt something snap tight through her emotional tap. It was an uncomfortable knot of anger; the tension was palpable. I pressed on, trying to make her understand. "Faith, I shall endeavor to regain that trust as best I can. If you would just give me a chance to-"

"GIVE YOU A CHANCE?!" she suddenly exploded, yanking her chin out of my grasp and retreating to the other side of the seat as her eyes, burning with the fury that had unfurled from that knot, snapped back up to meet mine. "You had your chance, it's not my fault you fucked it up. _You_ messed up, Eric - not me - _you_. It is not my responsibility or desire to give you any chance to further destroy the pieces of my life I've picked up. The life that _you_ shattered. The life you decided you had every right to take and manipulate to your liking. And you don't. You don't get to just waltz back into my life and ask for a "do-over". You don't get another chance. I'm not your plaything! Stop hunting me down like some prize and give me a chance to live! Trying to make me happy with you is a pointless pursuit at best. You're delusional and twisted if you think that's a possibility," She said, finishing her tirade, the tears that had appeared during it running rivers down her cheeks. "Just leave me alone," she pleaded quietly as she turned away.

As I so often did when dealing with Faith, I found myself utterly speechless. I was lost, confused as to what my next step was, angry at her accusations and temper, upset that I'd provoked such an outburst, but this time there was a new emotion in the mix: hopelessness. I was always sure time would fix things but now I wasn't so certain. I felt exhausted; this meeting was supposed to help, all I felt it had done was further highlight the brokenness I had caused. Faith's sniffles as she valiantly tried to reign in her tears were all I heard as I sat in silence, trying to process everything she'd thrown at me. I couldn't. It was too much.

"You should go now," I said softly to her as her tears subsided.

"How do I leave?" she asked quietly.

"I'm sure you've figured it out by now," I stated looking over at her, "You found it's anchor to our bond."

She gave a barely perceptible nod and stood up to leave, walking in front of where I sat.

"Faith, I should warn you," I said gently touching her arm as she walked by and immediately retracting my hand, not wanting to upset her. "You got pulled out mid-nightmare, so you're going to reenter it as soon as you leave. It, obviously, was not the sort of dream I hoped to find you in for this but…" I trailed off with a sigh, "It was necessary."

"You seem to think that about a lot of things," she whispered.

"Everything I have done, I have done for your safety and your good, Faith. Believe it or don't but it is the truth. I may not have made the correct decisions but I made them with your future well-being in mind."

I stood up in front of her and let my hands cup her face briefly and come to rest on her shoulders. "If you want any answers you know where to find me now," I said. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. She waited without reaction and then stepped around me and left, refusing to look back.

I sat forward my head in my hands in defeat. That had not gone according to plan at all. Yes, I had decided not to interrogate her but I had still wanted to pose some of my questions, trip her up possibly. I had new information, important information when I thought about it, but I had no idea what to do with it. I needed to remedy it, but it seemed an impossible task. I had this to come back to though, I was sure with my presence in her slumber tonight I would, unfortunately, be making more appearances in her dreams soon. This was all I had left; I was going to make it count. Meanwhile, I had more to record.


	7. Chapter 7

ISFNE Chapter 7

Allison POV

 _I imagined a doorway back to our bond as I walked out of the room, the moment I did though I felt the wind go out of me and I blacked out, falling back into my nightmare, pinned to the bed, naked, with Eric on top of me._

 _"Faith, why keep working against me? I don't want this fighting. Why can't you join me? Save yourself the pain."_

 _"It isn't right!" I pleaded._

 ** _pleasure, Faith, it can all be pleasure._** _.._

 _"NO, NEVER. I WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING YOU!", I bellowed with all I had in me._

 _He tried to fuzzy my mind again, I felt his power like a blanket of cotton trying to put out my thoughts, trying to seduce me; I refused to fall under it again._

 _"Faith, there's no point in resisting," he said kissing down my neck, "Though you won't admit it, there's a part of you that likes this, wants me to finish what I've started. Why do you feel so compelled to fight me on everything?"_

 _"I wouldn't if it didn't go against every moral fiber in my being!"_

 _"Violet..."_

 _"I HATE YOU," I screamed out with utter contempt, my thrashing renewed though I knew from experience, I couldn't change this dream; it always followed the same path._

 _He tried to kiss me coaxingly though I twisted my head away and tried to lash out with my legs which he easily intercepted and settled himself between._

God please, this can't be how it ends…again _I pleaded,_ why can't I change it?

"Come on, wake up!" I opened my eyes as something shook me and squinted in the brightly lit room, so very different from where I'd just been. I was warm and comfortable, but it was so bright. Everything was fuzzy as I tried to wake up more fully but I was quickly tensed and snapped to attention as I realized first, that I felt a body pressed up to mine and second, I was almost completely naked. Eric. It hadn't been a dream. Our meeting had – I didn't bother finishing the thought. Frenzied with fear I lashed out with a kick to the shins, earning me a yelp of pain, and thrashed myself away from his grasp sitting up panting in utter fear as I took in the completely unfamiliar surroundings including a very unfamiliar figure sitting up in the bed next to me, rubbing his shin with a grimace. What was going on?

Simon POV

I woke up peacefully around nine o'clock as I usually did any day of the week. I'd lucked out with classes that all started after ten so sleeping in was a luxury I had on a daily basis. As I slowly became more alert I realized I wasn't alone in my bed and that my arm was draped over a girl whom I was snuggled up to quite nicely. Ah, yes, the girl from the bookstore last night. Thankfully, she'd warmed up during the night and was sleeping peacefully. What had been her name? Alyssa? Alaina? …no, Allison. Yes, Allison. But I remembered that small moment of seeming clarity where she'd questioned my use of that name, so it was probably false. But why? I took the opportunity to study her more closely. She had chestnut brown hair splayed across one of my pillows, thick lashes, a slight frown, and a smattering of pale freckles on even paler skin. She was short and thin in a somewhat unhealthy way and though the body pressed up against me was lovely in its own regard, she was by no means curvy, especially as she was worryingly thin. My attention was drawn to where my arm had fallen and I pulled back the covered gently, so as not to wake her as I looked at what I was feeling. My arm fell over her hip and rested lightly against her abdomen but it felt almost like… and as I looked, I confirmed my suspicion; it was still fairly early but I could recognize it with some certainty. My attention was drawn away as the girl started tossing and turning, eventually escalating into thrashing as she continued to whimper "no" over and over with more and more fear in her voice. I shook her gently, "Wake up. Wake up it's just a nightmare," I said.

She seemed to feel nothing so I tried with more vigor. "Come on, wake up!" I said a little louder. Her whimpering stopped and I felt her begin to rouse and suddenly go stiff as a board. Before I could say anything she began to struggle, throwing herself away from me, kicking blindly and hitting me square in the shin. I yelped as she moved away and sat up on the edge of the bed, covers pulled to her chin, breathing heavily and eyes frenzied as she looked at me in terror.

I sat up with a wince and started rubbing my shin, "Good Lord, woman, that hurt."

"You're not Eric," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Who?" I asked in confusion, grabbing my glasses off of the side table and looking back at her.

"Who are you? What am I doing here? What's going on? Why can't I remember anything? Why am I in the SAME BED AS YOU ALMOST NAKED?" she rapid fired questions, her voice slowly escalating in panic.

"Whoa, whoa too many questions," I said rolling out of the bed to grab the thermometer I'd left on the dresser, limping slightly, "Temperature first, then talk," I said holding it out to her. She looked slightly confused but took it from me cautiously and did as I asked. I grabbed my sweater from last night off the ground and handed it to her, motioning for the thermometer as I heard it beep. She gave it to me, still obviously confused about the whole ordeal as I checked it. 97 degrees - finally within a healthy range. I heard her put on the proffered sweater as I put the thermometer back on the dresser and, after hearing her settle, sat down near her on the edge of the bed.

"So…" I started, "I think we have a few questions to settle between us."

"I'd say so," she was looking at me warily. My sweater would have fallen around mid-thigh had she stood but in her seated position it bunched at her hips and she'd balled the excess sleeves in her fist which were pressed against her face. She'd relaxed her death-grip on the sheets and now let them pool in her lap effectively hiding what wasn't covered by my sweater. In short, she actually looked kind of cute but very on edge. I couldn't exactly blame her though.

"You passed out in front of the store last night and my grandmother took you in, probably thinking you just needed to warm up indoors a little. I found you in a dazed state, under a thin blanket, and progressively succumbing to the effects of hypothermia."

"Hypothermia?" she whispered in disbelief.

"You read at 85 degrees."

She had no response but stunned silence. I took it as my cue to continue. "I, thankfully, have learned what to do in that sort of case. Your clothes were soaked through, they're folded right over there," I said pointing at the desk to her left, "and the way to best combat hypothermia is gradual heat, skin to skin contact being best." I stated, wrapping up the explanation. "That should answer all of your questions."

"Um, yes, it does…I guess," she said hands falling into her lap and her gaze following, "Wait, you didn't say who you are," she said peeking up at me.

"Not Eric apparently?" I said in amusement. She paled considerably at that comment; apparently Eric wasn't a joking matter. Interested, I saw my opportunity to pry subtly about some of my own questions. "I'm Simon Timmons, I'm in my second year of medical school at the University. The question is, who are you, Allison?"

She was caught off guard, "Um, well you already know my name…"

"I don't think I do, actually," I said knowing that I was going on only a small idea, I might be wrong but by the discomfort in her look I knew I was onto something.

"I…what do you mean, you obviously just said-"

"But Allison isn't your name is it?"

"What leads you to believe that?"

"I tried to address you multiple times by it yesterday and you not only didn't respond to it but you looked me in the eye and asked who 'Allison' was at one point."

Now she was panicking. Not exactly what I'd been angling for. Oh well, might as well press the advantage.

"Is there a reason I can't know your name?"

"Mr. Timmons I just, I can't give it," she said faintly.

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing, I just don't want to give my name out."

"What's in a name?"

"A lot more information than you would think," she said quietly.

There was a long pause in our conversation as I weighed my ability to pursue the theory that was slowly coming together for me.

"Well, I think I already have the information I need," I said casually. She met my gaze warily at that comment. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, almost daring me to try my theory. _You know nothing about me_ , her eyes told me. I shrugged, _I know more than you think_. "You're running from whoever put you in this situation. There's a million different motivations I could theorize about, but what I know is you're running from someone you know very intimately," an angry blush burned in her cheeks, a sure sign that she understood my double meaning, but she stayed silent – so I decided to take my shot. "You're running from the father of that child."

Eric POV

 _Toying with Faith had been fun for a while, it was very enlightening for certain, to get to know who it was I was matched with, but it quickly became tiring. I couldn't even touch her because of her crucifix and her whole demeanor was so foreign and opposing to mine that my attentions were putting her very much on guard and making her wary of me. I tried to establish some basis of friendship or at least repartee but she was so unused to any sort of interest that she withdrew even more. Faith was completely undiscovered, it was both easy and difficult to see why. She was diminutive, she hung back and did not assert herself needlessly, and though she was beautiful if anyone took the time to notice, it wasn't the shallow, conventional type of beauty that would draw stares. It was subtle, it was the way her eyes would meet yours, the way her hair would fall over her shoulder. She wasn't shapely, but she carried herself with assurance, quiet as it was; she wasn't bold, but her actions and words set her apart. But she was so worth discovering, I couldn't believe that no one had already. I wanted to think her naïve, but she wasn't, she was smart and intuitive. She was merely uncorrupted and inexperienced. She deserved better than me, definitely better than any of her other possible mates. That is the only way I am able to justify anything and everything I put her through, it was a lesser of two evils, though I tried valiantly to never let her know of the other evil that was trying to obtain her._

I sat back and reread my latest entry. Progress was slow with recording our history, but slow was better than nothing. Slow at least took my mind off of the days that seemed to crawl by; slow let me channel every thought of her into something productive. I'd pressed pause on hunting Faith down for the last two weeks I'd been back, but no new information was revealing itself to me, I still had no idea what I was working with, where to even start. Hopefully revelation would come soon as I continued to sift through the memories I had. The clues were there I just had to find them.

Allison POV

I gaped at the man in utter horror as he put my worst fear into words. "NO," I exclaimed shakily, though it seemed to be the only thing I could utter. "No," I tried again, my voice turning into a whimper as I repeated it again, stuffing my face into the sleeves of the sweater. "I'm..I can't, I can't be pregnant," I wept.

The poor guy, who was now confronted with a crying girl, made an effort to calm me, rubbing my back gently. "I'm sorry, I mean you must be three or four months in."

I tried to reign myself in, sitting up and taking control of my breathing, looking over at him, "I (hic) I mean you haven't (sob) pointed out anything I didn't already suspect (deep breath). It just feels like…" I swallowed another wave of tears and whispered softly, "Like my life is ending."

There was a long pause before he finally stood, "You should get some more rest, you're still recovering. If not, the bathroom is down the hallway on the left if you'd like to shower or anything."

I nodded despondently as he left, and melted into a bout of muffled tears as I laid down again. What was I going to do?

Eric POV

I opened up to the bond again after speaking to Faith a day ago, I figured I could check in to see what I could glean from Faith's daily activities, though I could only guess what she was doing. The moment I did I was hit with an overwhelming wave of sadness and fear. What could she possibly be encountering?

 _ **Faith?**_ I tried tentatively.

 _ **Go away, I am not in the mood,**_ she snapped.

 _ **Are you ever?**_ I sulked. She was crying, again. In a heartbreaking way she couldn't contain, let alone hide. _**Faith what is wrong? Are you alright?**_

She cut off communication and stemmed her emotional output. It was much weaker, I could barely register it and she had pulled the plug on communicating with me for now. What the hell had happened to her in the past twelve hours to make her so upset? And afraid? She was so afraid…

With luck I could find out in the halfway room soon enough, still I hated to have to depend on her whim or the whim of her unconscious. Sure, I'd made it so if she dreamed of me she'd find herself in the room, but now that she knew how it worked, she would easily be able to leave, maybe even shut the whole thing down with the power she had. I sighed, she really never made anything easy.

Simon POV

I walked downstairs to the kitchen to find Grams had made some pancakes for the morning; I loved that about staying at the bookstore, I could always count on Grams for a great breakfast.

"Simon! How is she?" she said in concern bringing a plate of pancakes over as I sat down at the table.

"Recovering just fine. She had a bit of a scare this morning, kicked me in the shin pretty good," I said.

"I'm so glad," she said, relieved. "Obviously not about her kicking you, but recovering," she continued with a wink as she sat down across from me with her mug of coffee cupped in both hands.

I started digging into my plate of pancakes before posing my next question, "Grams, why did you take her in instead of calling 911?"

She hesitated, "I thought she might be drunk the way she passed out like that and, well, you know how dangerous the city could get for her at night," she finally explained.

It made a lot of sense really, I couldn't blame Grams on that account. She couldn't have known how serious Allison's situation was. "Well, it gets better," I said, "She's running from someone and she's pregnant."

"She is?"

"Yep."

I continued to eat my pancakes as Grams sipped her coffee contemplatively. I had grabbed a second helping and sat down again when she finally responded. "Simon, I want to offer her a job."

I dropped my fork and looked at her in astonishment, "WHAT?"

"I want to offer her a job," she repeated. "I've been needing more help for the bookstore anyways."

"That's what I'm here for, Grams," I argued.

"Simon, you're busy with school, you just aren't around as much anymore, that's okay."

"Grams, finals are only next week and then it's summer."

"And you're going to be taking a summer course-"

"For a month! I've still got time to help you."

"Simon, it's okay, I don't want you to feel obligated. You're doing amazing with med school and I don't need you being torn over here constantly. I need someone to help around more constantly, keeping track of our stock, running the register, odds and ends. You are still a part of this, I just want to expand slightly."

"Then put out an ad! Interview! Grams, you don't know anything about this girl!"

"Neither do you," she said calmly, "I have a feeling about this, Simon."

"I don't trust her, you shouldn't either."

"Simon, if you assume the worst of people, you are going to see the worst in people. You don't even know if she's going to accept the job for goodness sakes! Besides, this will help her. She's going to need help getting on her feet if she's pregnant."

"Grams, she's a total stranger."

"Well, that sounds like something you can work on," she said getting up and clearing the dishes. This was not a fight I was going to win. God bless her, but when Grams was set on something, she didn't budge often. Then again, neither did I.


	8. Chapter 8

ISFNE Chapter 8

Allison POV

I was wary of the offer as I picked at the last of my pancakes that I'd basically inhaled. Though Eleanor, the grandmother, seemed wonderful enough her grandson seemed less than thrilled if not downright hostile to the idea.

"You can run the bookstore for a few hours at a time working on and off with me or Simon if he's around. I have space in the apartment so you'll have a place to stay included and I can pay you a little as well," Eleanor said, completing the offer.

It was a shock really. She didn't know me at all, two days ago I'd been on the streets barely surviving and now suddenly I was being given to opportunity to be set up with a place to stay and food, and when I thought about it a little more, someone who knew how to handle babies. I would be stupid not to take it, though Simon's frown was doing its best to dissuade me.

"If you are truly willing to give me that chance I promise I will do everything in my power so you won't regret it," I said looking at both of them carefully. Eleanor was thrilled, Simon frowned almost imperceptibly.

"I'm sure I won't, Allison. It was Allison right?" Eleanor responded.

I exchanged a small glance with Simon, who was glaring at me with the name problem being addressed again. I quickly looked away, "Yes, it's Allison, Mrs. Timmons."

"Call me Eleanor," she said with a kind smile. Simon's frown deepened in the background.

Simon grabbed the few things he'd brought and announced he was heading back to his apartment. Eleanor wished him luck on his finals for next week, I followed suit. His dislike of me was very clear, but he wished me luck before heading over to talk briefly with his grandmother. I wondered why he was so against me. Maybe because I had kicked him in the shin. Then I realized, I'd never thanked him for saving my life. I turned to see if I could do so before he left only to realize he was already gone. I'd been so consumed in thought I'd missed him leaving. I sighed. Great. I waved away that thought I had other things to worry about. It was time to get my new life in order. Time to get to work.

Eric POV

She didn't dream of me. I couldn't fathom it. Her mind should be ripe with memories after the dam had been broken less than a week ago yet I'd had no visits from her consciousness. It was suspicious to be certain. Almost as if she weren't giving her mind a chance to dream, a dangerous game to play. She either wasn't sleeping or she was inducing herself into a deep and dreamless sleep.

I growled for the umpteenth time in utter frustration. What had I done so horribly in our first meeting that she was so determined to keep away from another one? I'd been civil. We hadn't parted on the best terms sure, but did we ever? And after what had happened the other day when I'd tapped back into her emotions I needed to talk to her again. That gave me pause. Of course, that was the only thing that had changed in the past couple days, and she wanted to keep me in the dark about it. She'd break down eventually, she'd have to sleep sometime and when that started again I was sure I'd make another appearance shortly. Until then, persistence was going to be key.

Simon POV

I didn't see the girl until over a week later. I came into the bookstore after my last day at the University for the school year and found her behind the counter writing in the ledger. I walked over and leaned on the counter before addressing her.

"Is Grams in back or is she upstairs?" I asked somewhat curtly.

She looked up in surprise, she hadn't noticed me, "She's upstairs, Mr. Timmons," she said timidly meeting my gaze.

I was immediately struck by her bright blue eyes and the dark circles she'd obviously tried to conceal. "Having trouble sleeping?" I asked with a frown of concern.

"Oh? No, nothing to worry about," she said clearly trying to close down the subject, only making me more persistent.

"What's with the new color contacts?"

She looked at me in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come off it, I know your eyes were violet before and suddenly they're piercing blue?"

She said nothing but instead avoided my gaze and picked up a stack of books from the counter to reshelf. I stepped in front of her way around the counter, "Come on, level with me."

"Please let me by, Mr. Timmons," she said with a strained politeness. I crossed my arms. She huffed, blowing her bangs away from her forehead briefly, set down the stack of books on the counter, and met my gaze evenly. She wasn't challenging me or glaring in annoyance, instead she was calmly standing in front of me, looking at me expectantly as if she knew I had more to say to her; but as I looked into her eyes I could see the lurking worry and fear in them and that she was valiantly trying not to let them show. I stood down, I didn't want to scare her. I leaned against the counter so that I no long blocked her exit.

"Is there something preventing you from sleeping?"

"Just myself."

"You are preventing yourself from sleeping? You realize that's extremely unhealthy. Why?" I said in indignation.

"I don't believe that's exactly your business," she replied calmly.

"Allison-" I said with a sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose and readjusted my glasses.

"Oh, so it's Allison now," she said teasingly, walking past me with the books.

"Well I have nothing else to call you, do I?" I shot back then I bit my tongue and breathed deeply, collecting myself, "forgive me that was uncalled for. However, as I am somewhat invested in the idea of you staying healthy, could you please explain yourself?"

"I'm just sleeping in intervals," she said slowly meandering about the store looking for the correct places for the books she held.

I walked over to cut her off, "You're denying yourself REM sleep? You need that desperately, Allison, I'm surprised you're still functioning. The dreaming stage is when all the actually benefits of sleep ta-"

"I don't want to dream," she cut me off, looking down at the floor and then meeting my gaze with piercing blue eyes shining with unshed tears, "I ran out of sleep pills and I just can't dream. If I dream all I dream about is him and…I can't relive that every…every night," she said, her voice getting quieter and obviously straining to remain stable as her gaze fell to the ground again.

"Eric?" I probed gently as I could. A small nod was my only response.

I felt a pang of pity toward her at this new information. She'd completed what I'd puzzled out about her with that small heartbreaking sentence, and though the girl was not on my list of favorite people, nobody deserved whatever she'd suffered through. Sure, I had no confirmation on the nature of how she'd been hurt, how deeply, how often etcetera, but still, I couldn't hate her with such knowledge.

"And the contacts?" I prodded.

"It's paranoid and insane but…I mean you noticed and they're just so distinctive I just-"

"You don't want him to find you," I finished the thought. There was a pause before she decided to move toward the next set of bookshelves to put the last book in place. I walked away and started down the hallway to head upstairs when she suddenly called out to me, "Mr. Timmons!" I paused and looked back at her, she'd come around the counter and was facing me at the other end of the hallway, "I-I never got to thank you for what you did the other night. I realize that I owe you my life."

"Grams is the one who brought you in, you can thank her."

"I have, but you knew how to help and you did. I was very lucky and I don't want you to think I am unaware of that, Mr. Timmons," she said with a small smile before walking out of sight to refill her arms with books to stock.

"It's just Simon," I called after her.

I let out a huff of frustration, damn, she was making me like her. She may be lying to us but her reasoning was unfortunately becoming more and more clear. She was still a mystery, and I couldn't stand being in the dark. I was going to find out about her somehow.

Allison POV

Eric was being very difficult to avoid. It was a constant battle to keep communication lines blocked, something that was even more fatiguing now that I was not sleeping well. He felt the moment I let down and pestered me when I did, something that had happened the moment Mr. Timmons left.

 _ **Love, please talk to me**_ , he coaxed. I said nothing but let go of my stem on our communication, knowing I needed some time before I could cut him off once more; it was incredibly draining.

 _ **You're going to have to talk to me at some point,**_ he stated, _**you are merely avoiding the inevitable. I will find out what you're hiding from me**_.

I sighed as I sat down on the couch in the bookstore, my hand coming to rest on my stomach that was finally showing much more noticeably. I was still coming to terms with the entire ordeal myself, I couldn't let Eric find out as well. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had no clue how he would react. Would he be upset? Thrilled? Angry? Would he become all the more possessive? I looked down and ran my hand over my small baby bump gently, and then there were all the questions to raise about the child itself. What was it going to be? Was it human? Nosferatu? Was it going to take after its father? Why was it developing so quickly? I took a deep breath and quickly backtracked from that scary rabbit hole. I was going to get through this, I had already done so much that I thought would be impossible, this was not going to be where I faltered.

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me. The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?" I recited to myself as I relaxed leaning against the back of the couch. Whatever would come I was not alone.

Eric POV

 _Our second coupling was still less than consensual. It was an experiment, on my part, on many fronts that did not pan out quite as I'd hoped. I teased her, refusing to give her release in hopes that it would drive answers out of her quickly as I knew she was not going to like me touching her. It was a calculated risk to use it against her, but one I knew could pay off well. I either got my answer quickly or I got to experiment with my ideas that could slowly bring Faith back._

 _Firstly, her innocence had been taken painfully due to unwillingness and inexperience but then that left her with no desire to ever come back. She only knew pain, I wanted to show her pleasure, and I knew if she put her foot down and was stubborn about giving me the information I needed, I would have an opportunity to give her tastes of it. Secondly, I was going to have time to learn what would make her body sing. I would give her small moments of bliss so it would be more than rewarding for her to come back to me, which led to my end-game. Convincing her to ask me to follow through what I was starting. Tempting her to give in to passion. It took much longer than I would have imagined._

 _Her poor body was weak from the constant onslaught and she'd fallen asleep to recover but when she roused herself sometime during the early hours of the morning and I tried to gently prod into her mind, her walls went up with all the energy she had left. I took my opportunity and focused my attentions solely on her and making her beg for completion. She did so in shame, and despite her efforts contrary, enjoyed herself. I didn't keep her long enough after that for anything to come of it, but I doubt she was ready to fall back into my arms anytime soon. If anything, it drove her further away, the knowledge that she could, in any amount, enjoy my attention was frightening to her. That I could bring anything more than pain was dangerous in her eyes as she could never forgive my crimes against her, and they were numerous. I couldn't blame her; I could only try to atone by keeping her safe. Something I almost failed to do mere weeks later._

It had been another week and a half since Faith had stopped all communication. Sure I'd been able to get in snippets here and there but she still refused to respond or dream. I sat back and reread what I'd written. I wasn't proud of what had happened but I found myself feeling an urge to record it. I thought back to what had occurred after that stint. That small eye of the hurricane that had lasted around three weeks before all hell had broken loose with Xavier. But as I thought harder about those three weeks I remembered something that had happened before Xavier's attack. I'd found Faith sobbing in the bathroom. She'd refused to tell me what about. Something had definitely been up though; what I couldn't imagine.

I tried to move on, but something about it continued to nag at me. I was missing something. Something important. Something that made everything click into place. I cursed myself for not being able to put the pieces together but attempted to continue writing hoping more insight might reveal itself.

I couldn't bring myself to continue as my mind stubbornly refused to focus on anything other than those few memories. I finally gave up any hope of further writing and decided to call it a day. I picked up the book and pushed away from the desk with frustration, got up, and walked contemplatively toward my rooms…well, our rooms.

I sat down in her favorite armchair, the same one from the night I'd found her crying and went through my bits and pieces, trying desperately to see the big picture.

A Faith I'd virtually left alone for three weeks sobbing uncontrollably in the bathroom, her appetite had been rare, her personal upkeep had suffered terribly under her stress, I grabbed small bit after bit from my memory. She'd been about to talk to me that night before we'd been interrupted by Maxwell. She'd escaped so suddenly after we'd come to a sort of accord, she'd found something or done something that scared her to death and she was making every effort to keep it from me.

I ran my hands through my hair in agitation, that feeling was back. I was so damn close. I gazed down at the pages I'd written earlier and lazily reread it for errors.

 _Our second coupling was still less than consensual. It was an experiment, on my part, on many fronts that did not pan out quite as I'd hoped…Tempting her to give in to passion…She did so in shame…enjoyed herself…mere weeks later…_

And suddenly, all the pieces fell together and revelation washed over me, leaving me wondering how I could have possibly been so blind. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me as I gaped at the pages in my hands. Of course, everything made sense now, why she'd run, why she'd been so set on keeping me in the dark, even the things as small as her eating habits. But, most of all, it was abundantly clear why she'd been so willing to give up the small understanding we'd come to.

Faith was pregnant.

A/N: AHH THE PLOT THICKENS. Hope you guys are happy with how things are developing, I've definitely been leading up to the pregnancy thing for a while and was really proud of myself for that. Did anyone guess? Anyways, I'm still not going to promise things, that only sets me up for failure and random half year hiatuses. But I hope the wait has been worth it. Tbh that's partially why the wait has been so long, I want to give you guys quality chapters and make sure you are fully understanding every character. Feedback is always appreciated, I love all of you so much for reading this and being so encouraging throughout.

-Allisonfreedman


	9. Chapter 9

ISFNE Chapter 9

Eric POV

Faith was pregnant. Faith was _pregnant_. Faith _is_ pregnant. It made every bit of sense yet I couldn't get my head around it. A child. And I'd had no idea for this long. I was going to be a father. I repeated it to myself out loud as if that might somehow make it more real; it didn't. And Faith, well, no wonder she'd been so unwilling to tell me. She was terrified and as I came more and more to terms with it I realized I was terrified as well for very different reasons. Faith was still mortal, I'd held off on the life bond, the bond that would make her a fledgling and open up her to the strength and power she would need so desperately. I let my head fall into my hands in agitation. Faith was in grave danger if I couldn't find her before she gave birth. She was so set on keeping me cut off which was only draining her more and left me unable to speak to her at all except for the few periods when she would tire and reopen the connection, even then, she never responded. "You have to dream, Faith," I said under my breath. I could only hope it was sooner rather than later.

Maxwell POV

I woke up dazed as my phone buzzed on the side table, it was from the master. "Hello?" I said with a yawn rubbing at my eyes.

"Maxwell, I've got a new lead," he said sounding almost anxious.

I sat up, suddenly much more awake, and grabbed my glasses off the table along with my laptop, "What is it? My computer's waking up but I can get working on it in a moment."

"I don't know what you're going to be able to find, but it's still vital information, maybe you can find out what to do with it," he said with a sigh.

"Master?"

"Faith's pregnant."

My stunned silence apparently was answer enough for him, "Let me know if you can come up with anything. Maybe come back to the castle sometime soon with Marissa, it's getting too quiet for my liking." I heard a click as he hung up. I made an attempt to respond but couldn't seem to form the words.

"Why are you up?" Marissa asked groggily as she turned over in the bed and, registering the shock that was clearly written across my face, became concerned, "What's wrong, Max?"

"That was Eric," I said still feeling completely blindsided.

That woke her up as well, she sat up next to me, "What did he say? Do we have a way to find her?"

"We have…new information. I didn't really get to ask him though."

"What did he say?" she persisted.

"Faith's pregnant."

"She WHAT?" Marissa exclaimed, all traces of sleepiness gone, "WHAT? How does he know? Is he certain? How can that be? She's in so much danger! Why hasn't he contacted her yet?"

"Please, just…slow down," I said pinching the bridge of my nose as my mind tried to catch up with all the information I was being bombarded with, "I didn't get to ask him anything he just hung up."

"But- how are we going to find her on that kind of timeline?" she whispered, voicing the fear that was already gnawing at me.

"I have no idea."

Allison POV

Eric had finally left me alone for the past few days, not that I'd given him many opportunities to try but the ones I had he didn't take. It was highly suspicious. Regardless of the fact that I slept for enough time I was waking with less and less energy every day. It was taking a toll. The most obvious moment it had shown was when I'd nearly fainted on Simon the other day when I got up from the stool behind the counter, he'd been able to catch me, thank goodness, but he refused to stop pestering me about it.

"You need to go to the doctor," he said coming back down from upstairs and leaned against the counter where I was sitting on the aforementioned stool reading a book since business was slow in the mornings.

"Mr. Timmons, I'm fine, really," I said timidly.

"I told you, just Simon will do," he said in a measured tone.

I smiled softly but remained stubborn, "I'm not going to a doctor."

"It's too bad I'm not giving you a choice," he said. That grabbed my attention.

"What…what do you mean?" I asked, panic starting to color my tone.

"I mean I made you an appointment for tomorrow and you are going."

"I don't want to," I said trying be gentle as I refused but the waver in my voice giving away my underlying fear as I looked down at my book again, the exchange hitting a bit too close to home.

I heard him huff in frustration, "Why are you being so stubborn?" he asked, an edge coming into his voice.

What was I supposed to say? That I was terrified of what they would find? That I was scared they would realize my child was developing much too rapidly? That I was absolutely paralyzed that what was growing in me was not human and would be recognized as such? I couldn't come up with any excuse that he would accept; mine would just give him reason to send me off to the looney bin. I stayed silent.

He picked up his messenger bag from behind the counter and began walking toward the back door. "I'll be here tomorrow at eleven."

"I don't understand. You don't even like me being here; why should you care what I do?" I asked, desperately grasping at straws.

He stopped and turned around, a frown creasing his brow, "Because I would still prefer you stay alive. I think the real question is why are you so recalcitrant in accepting help in any form, even when it may save your life?" I let my gaze fall briefly. If only I could tell him. I looked back up and saw his piercing gaze still seemed to be analyzing me. He shrugged his messenger bag higher onto his shoulder, "You have to think beyond yourself and realize that there is a life in your hands beside your own, Allison," he said turning back around and walking away. "I'll see you tomorrow," he called back down the hall.

Simon POV

Good God, the girl drove me insane. Why was she so averse to something she desperately needed? She had tried to hide it for a long time but even before her fainting episode I'd seen how the life was slowly being sucked out of her. The dark circles that began appearing under her eyes, the amount of energy she had to expend to do simple tasks, it was amazing she hadn't given out earlier. Her fainting spell had been the last straw though, I wasn't going to stand by and do nothing. Something was clearly wrong and if she wasn't going to take action I was. Yet she was determined to push away the help I was offering her.

I pushed open the back door and walked over to my car to drive back to my apartment. As I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road I reflected back on her responses. What confused me to no end was that she wasn't pushing back at me, she was pushing back at the idea. She didn't resent me even though I'd been determined to resent her, if anything she seemed afraid of me, and I didn't like that. I'd given up on hating her, she was a victim not a threat, and though I was still far off from trusting her I was perturbed by the thought that I scared her. She was jumpy and wary of my every move, even when I'd merely confronted her at the counter I'd seen the fear that had flared in her eyes. And her quiet stubbornness in refusing to call me by my name, I still didn't understand that either; God, she was such a riddle.

I pulled into the parking garage and found my space, parking and getting out to walk to my apartment. I'd tried to analyze her as I left but found I still couldn't seem to place her. Whatever reason she had for her recalcitrance it wasn't purely selfish, though I left her with a warning on the off chance that it was. She was afraid of that too, but why? Why were all these things scaring her?

Allison POV

It was not my proudest moment but when eleven o'clock rolled around the next day I stayed firmly planted in my room. I'd already spent a good thirty minutes emptying my stomach that morning and generally feeling crappy; I wasn't going anywhere. Simon had other ideas. At exactly 11:05am he came directly to my room and knocked firmly on the door.

"Allison, let's go," he said flatly. I didn't respond but sat behind the locked door on my bed, legs crisscrossed.

I suddenly heard my doorknob jiggling and not even a minute later the door swung open, a put-out Simon leaning against the doorframe with a screwdriver in hand.

"Come on," he said calmly.

I felt so trapped and confused but I had nothing to hide behind. No excuses at my disposal.

"I'm scared," I squeaked out as I met his gaze then quickly looked down at my hands as tears began prickling at my eyes.

He seemed surprised at my admission momentarily then carefully walked over to sit down next to me on the bed, screwdriver still in hand. "You shouldn't be," he said in a surprisingly gentle tone, "It's really just routine, you'll be fine."

"They're going to ask a lot of questions," I said, continuing to study my hands.

"Yes?" he said somewhat confused.

"Questions I don't have answers for," I whispered looking back up at him.

Grim understanding came over his face and he turned slightly to face me and, setting down the screwdriver between us, took my hands. "Hey, you're going to be just fine okay?" he encouraged. "You've faced worse than this I'm sure of it. It's only for your good, alright?"

I took a deep breath. I could do this. After a long pause I responded. "One question," I said still looking down at our hands. Why was he holding them?

"Yes?"

"What's with the screwdriver?" I asked with a small smile.

He cracked a grin at that, "Top secret, I'm afraid," he said, "You forget, this was my room. I know all its secrets. Which boards creak, how to get the door reopened when locked, how to sneak out..."

I gave a watery laugh at that. "Okay, I'll go," I finally said standing up and letting Simon help me to the car.

Simon POV

I'd sat in the waiting room for what felt like forever before a doctor finally came out and called my name.

I got up and walked over. "Come with me, Allison is recovering but I wanted to chat with you," he said as I walked down the hall with him to one of the exam room where we sat down.

"What can I do for you?" I asked in concern. "What's she recovering from?"

"I hate to ask but who are you to her?" he asked somewhat pointedly.

"I'm-I'm just a friend, Sir," I said somewhat taken aback. Had I just said friend?

"And you are aware of her circumstances?"

"I've puzzled out a fair amount, yes. Sir, why is she recovering?"

He sighed. "She's reacting badly to the whole ordeal due to her situation," he said carefully.

"She has PTSD," I said, slowly coming to the realization. He nodded.

"Have you seen evidence of this in your interactions with her?"

"Yes, yes, I have, I feel stupid to have not recognized it sooner."

"Be patient with her, and very careful. She's in fragile condition," he said before continuing, "which leads to the next set of news. She may be carrying multiples and therefore your concern of fatigue is explained. I can't confirm until we get her in for an ultrasound though."

"Thank you, is there anything else?"

"No, we'll send her out when she's recovered completely. Thank you, Mr. Timmons."

Allison POV

The car ride back was silent and tense. I felt completely drained and despondent. The panic had come out of seemingly nowhere and had shaken me to my core and now…now I was barely able to stay awake. Simon parked behind the bookstore and insisted on walking me up the apartment stairs, obviously still concerned with my fainting episode from before. He left after I was safely in the apartment at which point I collapsed on the couch and turned on the TV determined to stay awake. Of course, that was asking too much.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

 _Eric was kissing me with such tenderness and passion that I knew immediately I was not in my usual nightmare. He slowly peppered kisses down my neck and even to my sternum making me shudder and try weakly to tug away. He slowly moved to straddle me and continued his attentions and letting them move south, eliciting a resigned sob from me which he quieted with another kiss. I knew where I was now, it was the night I'd given in, my night of shame. He was so insistent yet gentle and I had figured out what he was doing long ago and I was determined to not let him win. He wouldn't have my mind or my body. But as he worked me so blissfully near a climax leaving me panting beneath him I cracked, and he could see it._

 _"Please-" I gasped._

 _"What, Faith, what do you want?" he asked quietly._

 _"I can't…" I tried, a sob catching in my throat._

 _"You can, love, there's no shame in what you want," he said cajolingly._

 _"Please-"_

 _"I think it's telling that you can't seem to complete your request, Faith," his voice betraying nothing but calmness, "You won't ask me to stop, yet you can't seem to let yourself be satisfied. What do you want, Faith? You know how to make this stop either way."_

 _I weighed my options, and knew what I had to do. It was my only option if I wanted to have any control. I could barely bring myself to do it though._

 _"I want…you," I whispered in resignation and humiliation._

 _My dream changed to us in the throws of passion as he finally brought me to a climax and reached his own. And then the dream veered off course._

 _I was still lying in the same position with Eric sitting over me but as he bent down over me I realized I was very pregnant._

 _"You are mine," he purred running his hand over my belly and planting a kiss there, "And no matter what you do or tell yourself this child is mine." His eyes met mine, and this time I saw nothing of the love and tenderness from moments before. They were cruel and lustful as they took me in. Suddenly, as I looked down I realized I was holding a child. His child. Him. Comical as it sounds, it was the most terrifying thing I'd ever dreamed. The child I was holding was Eric and it was a moment of all my deepest fears realized._

" _You think you can change what this child is?" he said taking it from my arms. "You are deluding yourself if you think this will not be my child. That I won't teach it the same things I was taught. That it won't be just like me."_

 _"NO," I screamed out, as he got up and placed the child in a crib that had appeared next to the bed, "I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS YOU MONSTER!"_

 _Eric turned on a dime, his eyes clouded with rage, "YOU don't get a say! It seems you are in need of some disciple. It will make a wonderful object lesson," he said with a calmness that spelled trouble. He fell on me without warning his moves mimicking those of Xavier, but it was Eric who was abusing me; he was doing this. I cried out as he forced himself into me mercilessly, not letting me adjust to any of the onslaught. I continued to scream as my head fell to the side and I found myself looking into the crib at the baby. The child was standing up by the bars of the crib and as I watched in horror it slowly smiled, giggled, and began to clap its hands together in glee at the scene before it. The last thing I remember was me screaming in absolute despair._

 _... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..._

I woke to find myself shaking all over and curled into the fetal position in that cursed room. I tried to get a grip on myself as I uncurled slowly, still shaking like a leaf. I felt my façade slipping momentarily and hastily righted it. I sat up and brought my knees to my chest, knowing without even glancing up that Eric was right in front of me.

"How much did you see?" I whispered.

"All of it," he said quietly.


	10. Chapter 10

ISFNE Chapter 10

Simon POV

I walked into the apartment and was greeted by Grant, Kyle, and Chloe all watching Netflix on the couch, or in Kyle and Chloe's case, each other.

"Where's Kate?" I asked setting down my bag and grabbing a root beer from the fridge before opting to sit on the chair instead of the couch.

"Phone call," Grant responded over his shoulder, "I think it's her sister's birthday or something? I don't know, she said it wouldn't take long."

I only shared the apartment with Grant and Kyle but most of the time it felt like it was shared with their girlfriends, Kate and Chloe respectively, as well. They were great people and we all had a grand time together. Kyle and Chloe had been going out for almost three years and Grant and Kate were coming up on two. I had been single during the entire period with the exception of a two-week relationship with a girl named Dani whom I'd quickly broken up with as I realized she was using me to get back at an ex. It didn't matter, the two couples were still very inclusive and I happily fifth-wheeled, though they were all determined to set me up on a date so I could rejoin their couple party antics, most of which I'd invented over the course of our college years. However, no matter how many times I went, turned down, or backed out of their dates I still ended up not being able to see a relationship with their choices. They were nowhere near giving up though.

"Where were you today? I thought you weren't doing anything?" Kyle inquired.

"Nowhere special, just checking in on the bookstore, worked a small shift, nothing noteworthy," I responded nonchalantly leaning back in the chair.

"Aren't we supposed to have dinner there soon? It was this coming Friday, right?" Grant asked.

I'd forgotten about the dinner, well, time to lie through my teeth. "Yeah, about that guys, we have to cancel. Something came up with Grams."

"She okay?" Kyle asked with a frown of concern.

"Oh, she's perfectly fine, just busy, we'll have to reschedule," I reassured. They shrugged it off and went back to watching their show. I breathed a inward sigh of relief.

I hadn't revealed Allison's presence to the group. It hadn't been purposeful at first. In the beginning, it had merely been so strange that I hadn't bothered, then it had been the idea that she wasn't going to stay in any sort of permanent way, so there was no point. But finally, I settled on not telling them because there would be too many questions to which I had no answer, at this point it felt best to keep her from the prying eyes of my friends.

"Hey, Simon," Kate said coming back into the living area, "I have a girl in one of my summer classes I really want to set you up with, are you doing anything next Friday, can I give you her number?" she said in one breath sitting down on the floor in front of Grant. Kate was always a bit enthusiastic.

I let out a sigh, "Sure, why not."

I decided to avoid the bookstore for the next week, unsure of how I was to proceed with Allison. I felt somewhat guilty about the fact that I'd cornered her into going to her appointment which had resulted in a panic attack. I didn't know what to do. It's not like I'd caused it but I felt responsible almost to the point where I wanted to beg her forgiveness. I avoided her instead, almost afraid of how she would react. What if I'd really screwed up? I shook my head and scoffed internally, why did I even care? And that was something I couldn't deny. Though I wanted to write her off as a stupid teenager who couldn't take care of herself and hate the way she'd been allowed to walk into a part of my life, I knew I would be wrong to do so. I did care. There was more to her than met the eye. I got the feeling she'd endured so much and yet the fact that she'd come out the other side so intact spoke volumes. Sure, she was still picking up the proverbial pieces of her life, but she was strong, though she hid it well. I just wanted to know why and how. What was her story? I would piece it together as best I could but if I was ever going to find out what I wanted to know investigating could not be my priority. Priority number one was to get her to stop calling me 'Mr. Timmons'. It made me feel about a million years old. But after that, or maybe in tandem with it, was getting her to trust me.

I shook my head, going back to my original train of thought, I would see her soon and I would apologize and maybe, just maybe, she would let me carry out a civil conversation with her.

I went out with Carly, the girl Kate had set me up with, and enjoyed her company well enough to ask her on a second date later in the week which she happily agreed to. We hit it off well and continued to do so on our second date.

Before I knew it another week had passed without me stopping by the bookstore. Instead, I spent time with Carly and the others at the apartment and working on my summer class homework. On one hand, I was spending quality time with my new girlfriend, on the other hand, I was still feeling guilty about the whole ordeal with Allison. I'd get there eventually. Besides, even without the cloud of guilt over my head I needed to visit Grams and pull my weight at the store.

Marissa POV

Max was in a tizzy. He was working overtime to try to track Faith down from the few things we had, most of which we'd already exhausted at this point. He was still trying to get airport surveillance but it was neigh impossible to access. Even if he did, it would take tons of time-consuming sifting to have a remote chance of spotting Faith. And probably an even slimmer chance of being able to find anything out based on where she flew. She could be truly anywhere, but it gave Max something to do with all his nervous energy. Meanwhile I was doing my best to keep him company, it was the only way I could help at all, though it drove me slightly insane; all it did was give me time alone with my thoughts.

It was such a mess, the whole damn thing. Eric and Faith's was the most tangled, twisted, star-crossed relationship I'd ever encountered and likely ever would. There was so much that had already passed between the two of them and so much that had preceded them. And though Faith had been victimized because of it, Eric was a victim in his own way having to act on the knowledge he held, even when it hurt the one he was protecting. Making himself forever the villain in her eyes so she wouldn't have the burden of things outside her control thrust on her shoulders. There was the whole standing history with Xavier, and the destruction Mina had caused, and of course the incident with Elizabeth…I sighed and began massaging my temples at the headache I was inducing by going down that rabbit hole. How the heck Eric planned to explain any and all of that to Faith eventually was a mystery to me. He couldn't keep her in the dark forever.


	11. Chapter 11

ISFNE Chapter 11

Eric POV

She had finally dreamed. I had been so thrilled at first to see that she was not only dreaming, but she was remembering such a different and better interaction between us. But as I continued to watch, I became horrified at the interactions between her and her construction of me. And now, as I stood in front of her shaking form, I had no idea what to do or say even as I saw her appearance slip momentarily.

"How much did you see?" she asked in such a fearful tone that it pained me.

"All of it," I answered truthfully, unsure of how I was supposed to proceed.

The silence stretched thin between us and I realized she was crying silently into her knees. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to hold her but knew she would reject me if I made any move to comfort her. I wanted to assuage her fears but knew any plea on my behalf would fall on deaf ears. So I stood awkwardly in front of her, completely unsure of what my next move should be. How did she always manage to keep me so off-balance?

"Your imagination is a frightful place, Faith," I heard myself saying faintly.

"Now you know, I guess," she said in response.

"Know what, Faith?" she didn't seem able to respond. "About the child?" I prompted gently as I could. She nodded wordlessly. "I already knew."

"How? I was- I was so careful," she questioned.

"The signs were all there, I just had to piece them together," I said, still not daring to move.

The silence was killing me. "Well, get on with it," she said waspishly.

"Excuse me?"

"You obviously want something out of this meeting seeing as I've avoided it so long and since you know I will again, so just get on with it already. You're tiptoeing around me like it's going to spare my feelings. Just say whatever you have to say so I can leave and never have to deal with this again."

"What would you have me do, love?" I pleaded. "I don't know how to fix this."

"You can't," she snapped still refusing to look up at me.

I faltered. I walked over carefully and sat down next to her, though she refused to acknowledge my presence. "I ask again, Faith, what would you have me do? Shall I poke holes in this projection you're trying to fool me with? Shall I rile you further with the fact that you won't be able to have the child safely without my help? Do I deny that I would ever do such things to you when we both know that you have every reason to believe I would? Express how much fear it fills me with to have myself portrayed that way in your dream?"

She slowly sat up and let herself meet my gaze, as I continued to plead with her for direction. "Faith, do I tell you how much the prospect of a child thrills me? Do I try to comfort you, knowing full well you want to reject me at every turn? Do I push for more information about our child? Should I remind you that you acknowledge there to be good in me? Parts of me that you aren't afraid of? What would you have me do?"

She stared at me; for once she was the one at a loss for words. "I-" she stuttered, "I don't even know where to start!" she snapped looking at me with indignation.

"Now you know what it feels like every time I try to have a conversation with you," I said with a small smile. She frowned and looked back down at her knees. "So might I start with a question?" She nodded slightly. "Why did you try to keep this hidden from me?"

She moved to sit tailor style and then met my gaze again, "You think I was thrilled when I found out?" she asked with tears starting to pool in her eyes again, "I was – I am - scared to death and the last thing I wanted was to let you know."

"But why?"

"I had no idea how you would react. I never do."

Silence again. "What can I do to assuage your fears?" I asked finally. She was calming down and if I could get her to confide in me ever so slightly I knew I could at least carry out a conversation.

"What?"

"You have questions, doubts, worries. What answers can I provide?"

She was wary, but contemplated for a while before posing her first question, "What…is it? I mean- is it human? Or…" she trailed off unable to finish the thought.

I took her hand and stood, helping her up and guiding us to one of the sofas. "Technically, the child is a Dhamphir, a result of the union between a vampire and a mortal. In most cases they are in almost every way, human. They will partake of blood, though they don't usually crave or depend on it. They usually inherit some powers as well, though how powerful they are varies considerably."

"Will it be immortal?"

"It will become so eventually. They turn at a certain age and can become fledglings."

"Why is this happening so quickly?"

I smiled slightly at that, "You would think with so much life to live they would take their time," I teased gently, "but they're impatient little things. They usually develop in about six months, siphoning off whatever strength or power their mother has to offer. Unfortunately, as a consequence, they take quite a toll on their mothers. Which is why I'm so concerned about you."

"I'm fine," she said shortly.

"Are you, Faith? You aren't sleeping well and though you have a power unto yourself you do not have much available to the child. Which means it's feeding from your energy which you insist on expending in useless ways."

"Useless ways?" she asked somewhat offended but also confused.

"This illusion you constantly put up for one," I said gesturing at her.

She looked slightly taken aback but recovered quickly, "This is anything but useless."

"It's getting harder for you to hold isn't it," I stated with no hint of a question.

"You've known this the whole time?" she asked.

"You've flickered a few times, and especially now knowing that you're carrying my child it's even more obvious that you're hiding yourself. I congratulate you on the genius of hiding yourself behind yourself though. You're too clever for your own good sometimes, Faith. Why are you so convinced it's a necessary measure?"

She refused to answer; I continued in speculation. "You've changed haven't you. You're not the Faith Allison I know, in fact, you aren't Faith Allison at all. But by only showing yourself like this to me, you hope to keep me searching for a girl who no longer exists. Am I close?" She said nothing. "I will take that as a yes," I said as I gently lifted her chin to meet her eyes. "It is a useless endeavor if you are found out - and you are - and a complete waste of what little energy you have. All I have to do is distract you to the point that you can't focus on keeping this projection in place and it would all be for naught."

I saw the fear wash over her face and with my hand still under her chin I could feel her begin to shake slightly. "I'm not going to hurt you, love. But if this continues I will make it stop for your own good." I leaned forward slightly and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek and just as I had figured her form flickered ever so slightly. I drew back and let my hand drop knowing I'd made my point. I knew I was scaring her but I needed to get through to her. If she didn't drop the charade it would only continue to drain her.

"But back to how you are expending what little energy you have. You need to stop withholding everything from me."

"And I'm supposed to listen to this why." She retorted without much vigor.

"Faith-" I stopped short wondering if this was when I should truly drop the proverbial bombshell. I had already alluded to it earlier but she had been so overwhelmed that she seemed to have not registered it. She was going to lash out and call me a liar if I tried to tell her but if I didn't even warn her there was no chance whatsoever of her helping in my search.

"Faith you're not going to be able to have our child alone. I need you more than ever to tell me where you are."

"I will be perfectly capable of raising this child without you," she responded with more strength. I didn't miss how she addressed the baby either.

"Faith it's not a matter of raising, it's a matter of surviving childbirth itself."

"Women have done just that since the beginning of time, I think I will be okay."

"I don't know if you've recognized this yet, but yours is not a run of the mill human pregnancy. Bringing a Dhamphir into the world requires so much energy that even in fledglings it can strip them down to their life-force."

"What?"

"It requires so much that they not only expend their power and their energy but it can even eat into the very essence that keeps them alive."

"If this is a scare tactic to make me run back to you it's not going to work." She said with a calmness that told me the storm was definitely coming if I pushed her. Unfortunately, I was going to do exactly that.

"It is nothing of the sort and I think you know it."

"You will have no place in my life or the life of this child. Deal with it!" She bit back.

"This is the furthest thing from a selfish endeavor, my concern is only for you and our child!"

"NO, it wont be OUR child. And I'm not falling for whatever lie you try to feed me so that you can insinuate yourself into our lives!"

"I'm not lying!"

"If you think for a second that I-"

"FAITH, YOU WILL DIE," I finally shouted in her face, the confrontation suddenly very reminiscent of the one I'd had with her after Xavier's attempt.

"I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN LET THIS CHILD BECOME ANYTHING LIKE YOU!" she lashed out, not backing down an inch. The other shoe had finally dropped and I was left utterly devastated for what seemed like the millionth time. Why did she have to plague me with her sharp tongue at every turn?

Sudden realization of what she'd said washed over her features and she shrank back visibly, obviously awaiting my wrath; waiting for me to make a reality what she'd just seen in her dream – and it broke me. I pulled away in pure emotional agony as her words echoed in my mind and I heard the stubborn resolution in every word. She meant every word of it, and she probably didn't even know until she had stated it; for though there was terror at my imminent reaction, there was also a fear in her face that was not directed at me but at herself. Suddenly, her nightmare and why it had taken such a drastic and disturbing turn made sense. She was afraid of me but she was even more afraid of the child becoming me. Of me corrupting it. Of me making it as much of a monster as I was to her. I let my head fall into my hands as I sat forward to lean my arms on my knees.

"I'm sorry I-I-" she began to stutter out in fear.

"Why are you apologizing?" I asked in defeat, not looking up.

"I didn't mean-"

"Faith, you meant every word of it, don't pretend to take it back now," I said tiredly, letting my arms fall limply, still leaning on my knees.

There was a tense silence before she finally responded, "I still shouldn't have said it."

"You said how you truly feel; I can't condemn you for that, I never could." The silence dragged on for what felt like a small eternity as I realized she had no response.

"I had no idea that you reviled me to the extent that you would throw away your own life if only to ensure that mine would never be filled with happiness." I said hoarsely, still barely able to wrap my head around it.

"I didn't either," she whispered meekly.

"But how…why, I can't-" I couldn't even form a question. Everything was wrong, so, so wrong.

She surprised me by responding, and I detected a distinct waver in her voice that said she was crying, "Well, what do you expect me to do, Eric? You've backed into a corner where I have no options for happiness anyways! You've clearly stated that you are not going to let me live my life without you in it, so what do you expect? What options do I have? Tell you where I am for the mere means of self-preservation, and live out my days with you fighting every step until you break me completely; all the while, you tear away this child from me so that it can be made just like you? Maybe instead you would have me beg your forgiveness, feigned as it would be, and fall into your arms pretending to love and adore you; all the while, I'm dying inside as you continue to use me as you wish, while I'm forced to comply with raising the child how you want? Or, instead, do I take my numbered days in freedom and let my final revenge be that if I cannot have my happiness, neither can you. Would that even be true? Or would I die just to have you find a new little obsession mere months later whom you treat in the same fashion?"

I sat up and saw that tears were falling freely as she finished her small diatribe. I was still shell-shocked, especially to have her viewpoint laid out so plainly, so hopelessly. If this was the only future she saw no wonder she was so willing to die. It was bleak at best, and it made my stomach turn to think of any of her conjecture made a reality.

While she may have acknowledged there was parts of me she didn't fear in our last meeting, it was clear from this one there were many parts she feared intensely, and her motherly instinct was already telling her to protect her child from them, even it meant never exposing them. It was so twisted that it actually made sense and I shuddered at the thought.

As I looked at my bride, my Faith, so beautiful but seeming so irreparably broken I began to truly doubt for the first time. Maybe there really was no fixing this. Maybe I was only destined to repeat my predecessors' mistakes. Maybe I'd damaged Faith beyond repair. But I was still resolute. I was going to do everything in my power to fix us. I was more determined than ever to make things right. But, to make it right, I still had to find her, something that could make things very wrong, especially if I had to resort to other methods. I'd promised the halfway room as a safe space, I would hate to renege on that. I could only hope to convince her to come back willingly, even if only for the sake of self-preservation. I chose my next words carefully.

"Faith, why would I put myself through this if I was able to move on so easily? I don't want anyone else, I can't have anyone else. You are my mate, by no choosing of my own but by destiny and fate. And though you would think that would make me indifferent, it does anything but. I love you, and want desperately for you to one-day love me in return; something I know is naught more than a pipe-dream at this point," I said trying to work through the last of what she'd stated.

I paused to collect my thoughts for my next response. "As for what I expect you to do, love, I only expect you to be the best mother you can to our child. _Our_ child, Faith. Not mine." At this point, I moved in closer to her and took her hands in mine, surprised when she did not pull them away. I continued softly, occasionally attempting to search her gaze, which she kept pointedly fixed on her hands resting in mine, "What you overlook is that this child is not only me. It is just as much you. Your humanity, your love, your kind and enduring nature. You are just as much a part of this child as me. You fear the worst, yet you shouldn't. Any being with even a sliver of you could never turn out to be anything but beautiful in every way. You make me a better man; how much more so will you make our child when it is already so predisposed to your nature?" I let go of one of her hands to tuck a small strand of her hair back behind her ear, prompting her to finally let her gaze flicker up to meet mine as I finished. "I love every bit of you, Faith, and _**I**_ would rather die than have anyone else be the mother of my children."

After another eternity of silence, I stood and gently pulled her with me, planting a small kiss on her forehead, causing another small flicker in her illusion, before tilting up her chin so she would meet my eyes. "I will go now, love. You've spent a very long time here and if you don't leave you won't get any sleep," I said, dropping her hands to turn and slowly pull away.

"Wait," she said quietly.

I froze and then turned back to face her, "Yes, Faith?"

She had a pleading look in her gaze as she met my eyes, "Why haven't you found me yet? I know full well that you could burst back into my mind and pry this information from me and you haven't. So why?"

"Because I can't."

Her eyes widened in utter shock. "What?" she barely whispered.

"I can't," I repeated with resignation. "I won't."

"But you have, you did, you-" she stammered trying to process my admission, and failing to wrap her head around it.

"Yes, but under very different circumstances. I can't access your mind, Faith, you've barred me completely, and though I have…" I paused, knowing I had to reference an unpleasant memory, "forced my way in before," I said delicately as possible, "to do so now would risk causing you irreparable damage."

"Damage?" she queried, "That's never seemed to stop you before," she said with a vein of rebuke.

"Damage of a different sort, love. It could cause a complete mental breakdown and a plethora of other awful things to invade in such a way again. You have to allow me in."

She stood before me with disbelief written across her face which slowly turned to confusion and quickly to suspicion. "But, you've just told me I have the upper hand? What are you pulling?"

"Nothing. You do hold almost every card in the deck right now. What few I have I will use but I am truly at a distinct disadvantage."

"But you can't- you wouldn't…" she tried to come to grips slowly.

I carefully walked back toward her, "I recall telling you at some point that you weren't powerless in our relationship." I said softly. I caught her hand before leaning in and pressing my lips to hers in a quick, chaste kiss causing her whole façade to disappear momentarily, still much to quickly for me to glean any new information. I didn't care at the moment, I just needed to get through to her. "Come back, Faith. Damnations, please, do not choose death over me," I pleaded.

She carefully pulled away from me. I let her, knowing I'd given her things to consider; she'd definitely given me my share.

I exited and returned to my own mind, and promptly awoke in my bed. A bed that was so empty without her. I sadly looked at her pillow and stuffed my face in it, as I had so many nights before, hoping to catch what little was left of her scent in it. And, as I laid there alone with my thoughts and the seeming dozens of lines Faith had etched into my mind forever, I heard her hopelessness and brokenness in every word and knew I was the cause of every bit of it. There was no redemption for me in her eyes and may never be. And, with those thoughts, for the first time in almost a century, I felt a tear slide down my face.

A/N: WOW. I don't think I've ever done a chapter completely in one POV (At least not a long one). It just never felt natural to switch back to Faith or to focus on anyone else. Plus, in the end, I think it's super necessary for Eric to have this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed writing this chapter for some reason, not that I hate writing the rest of them but this one just came a lot easier than most and ended up pretty good in my humble opinion. If you don't agree, oh well, I don't think it will happen very often seeing as it hasn't happened in the last however many chapters I've written. Love you guys! Reviews are my lifeblood, and I cherish each one I get! :) *wink* *nudge* *accidentally elbows you too hard* *apologizes profusely*


	12. Chapter 12

ISFNE Chapter 12

Allison POV

I woke what felt like mere seconds after the conversation ended but based on the fact that the entire apartment was dark I knew it couldn't be. I fumbled to find the light switch and checked the clock on the microwave. It was almost two in the morning, frick. I'd slept the rest of the day away and most of the night. I realized suddenly that I was starving. I looked over to the fridge and saw a small note from Eleanor telling me she hadn't wanted to wake me up that evening and that there were leftovers in the fridge for me. She was truly a godsend.

As I mindlessly put my plate in the microwave I turned the conversation I'd had with Eric over and over again in my mind. He'd certainly given me a lot to think about. I'd learned so much about my own motivations and some about his too and it scared me senseless. Was I really willing to die just to spite him? Did my hate really run that deep? And the deep-seated fears that had been revealed through that dream. Fears I didn't even recognize until they'd been played out so morbidly. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't pretend Eric's words hadn't shaken me up. Was this child really killing me slowly? Was I really in danger of dying? And if so, I was back at square one, wondering at the fact that I was supposedly willing to die rather than be found by him.

I took the plate out before the timer rang to keep my noise to a minimum, and sat back down on the couch to eat as I continued to stay lost in thought. I hadn't even started on the fact that he'd pieced together so much already. He'd found out about the child, he knew about my projection and why I was using it. If he already had that much he could be much closer than I believed to finding me again. I'd been so careful about paper trails though. I shouldn't have anything connecting me to the tickets Max had bought, or anything Faith Allison owned or did. Still I worried.

As I finished and cleaned up, fatigue quickly set in again and I wandered to my room to fall asleep more comfortably on the bed, the interaction still racing through my mind.

Eleanor POV

"Grams I want to take some shifts at the shop for you, I'm sorry it's taken this long to get around to it."

Simon hadn't been around much the past few weeks but had come to me today after I'd opened to ask to take some of my workload.

"I'm really sorry I've been busy and haven't helped out much at all but whenever you need me to take over I will," he said full of apology.

I was thrilled quite honestly. Allison had been a great help thus far picking up what Simon usually would have but now having Simon back would finally make life a bit easier for me.

"Well," I started, getting out the log book and opening it on the counter in front of me, "If you could take mornings for a bit it would be helpful for certain."

"So I'll open the store at nine per usual and go into the afternoon?" he asked.

"Oh, umm, maybe noon would be best," I said somewhat nervously looking at the log book at where Allison was currently helping out. She came down to help me out somewhere between eleven and noon and worked with me or alone into the late afternoon; it all depended on how much traffic we expected during the day. Regardless, I didn't know how I felt putting the two together considering Simon's disapproval and her skittishness. I was barely beginning to get Allison to warm up to me, it was going to definitely take more on both sides where Simon was concerned.

"Seriously, Grams, I can take on more than that. I haven't been in the bookstore for a long time," Simon said with a concerned look as he carefully took off and cleaned his glasses before replacing them.

"Maybe later in the day you could close up instead?" I suggested.

Now he knew something was up and his brows furrowed in confusion. He quickly pulled the log book across the counter to his side, turning it around to look and understanding and surprise dawning on his face. "Are you trying to make me avoid Allison?" he questioned.

"I figured you might want to," I stated, "You were so against her staying."

He shifted uncomfortably, something that definitely surprised me. Simon was usually stubborn as they came about his opinions and the fact that he didn't rush to defend or justify his viewpoint was strange.

"I judged quickly and harshly. In all honesty, I was hoping I could have some hours with her so I can try to get a better impression of her." _And have her get a better impression of me_ seemed to be the unspoken second part of the sentence but I let it go. It was as much of an apology Simon was willing to give, and, for now, I was willing to take it. Wary as I still was of leaving the two together I acquiesced; he was my grandson after all.

"Well I suppose you can work into the afternoon then. But she'll be on her guard, Simon, don't expect her to warm up to you too quickly."

Eric POV

 _Xavier continued to dog Faith, even after I'd laid claim to her. For a while I believed it to be a mere plot to continue my misery but I quickly learned that she was shared and he was a potential when he tried to take her. I had forged two of the three necessary bonds but without our bond being complete she was still technically able to be stolen, something Xavier almost succeeded in doing. He snuck in and almost took Faith right under my nose. This whole incident, of course, had many repercussions. It reveled all of what I had tried to keep out of my relationship with Faith. It revealed his existence, the fact that I had competition, it revealed her importance, my history, and maybe most visibly, her power. As I wrestled with Xavier one of his lackeys tried to make off with Faith, something that pushed her over the edge._

 _What followed I believe I must describe in some detail because it was such a singular and unprecedented event. As the man approached her, Faith's fear was apparent, but something came over her, a calm unlike any I'd ever seen in her. She found her refuge in her faith and began to cry out to her God for deliverance her words growing stronger and her power awakening as she began to feel a sense of control. Her faith evoked something in her as she began to glow with a burning energy from both her recitation of Scripture and her awakening power. It enveloped her, making Xavier and me alike want to hiss and avert our eyes but we both watched completely entranced as suddenly it all focused in on the man approaching my bride. He was there one second and gone the next. There was no time for him to scream, no ashes left to sweep away. He was completely obliterated. This, of course, drew back Xavier to his followers to regroup and change tactics and left me to deal with the fallout of this occurrence._

 _Emotions ran high for both of us. She was obviously shaken to her core and scared senseless about everything that had happened and I was in much the same state for very different reasons. She was quick to lash out, castigating me for the pain I'd inflicted on her myself and cast the blame for everything that had passed, including Xavier's attempt, at my feet. I was quick to go on the defensive, to try to make her see reason but there were things she said I couldn't deny. She was, in a way, right. My history with Xavier had put her in the crossfire for so much pain, but how much would she be in if I hadn't been the one to cause it? If I'd played by the rules and lost her to him or the myriad of other potentials, her life with me would comparably be an absolute heaven. Yes, I'd hurt her, but I'd saved her from the horrors Xavier was capable of. But of course, I couldn't let her know this. She would think me a villain no matter what; explanations would only sound like excuses. I couldn't ask her to justify what I'd done to her and what I'd forced her to endure; I couldn't allow her to carry the burden of her position all at once. I took away her choice for fear of her choosing wrongly, and, yes, I write wrongly with confidence for any other that I came upon would not have a second thought for her wellbeing, least of all Xavier. I may have selfish intentions of my own but they align with Faith's interests, or what will be her interests._

 _Tentative amends were briefly made afterward. I sent her away for safekeeping as I prepared to face Xavier a final time. I promised her the answers she wished for upon her return, many of which concerned Xavier and then, by default, the entirety of what I've tried so hard to keep from falling on her shoulders. She didn't come back for them, and I'm afraid she never will._

Allison POV

I threw my hair up in a ponytail as I raced to get ready, tossing my bangs slightly to keep them from lying flat. I was late and though I knew Eleanor would be easily forgiving I hated to take advantage of that. Yes, I had spent a good portion of the morning heaving by the toilet and generally feeling exhausted even after hours of sleep, but I wasn't letting that serve as an excuse. I'd been late a few times in the past two weeks and felt awful about it. Ever since that appointment though I'd started to feel fatigued easier and had begun sleeping in very strange patterns. Thankfully none of them had resulted in any dreams or nightmares including Eric, though this past night I had had a strange one about working in the bookstore.

"Sorry I'm late, Eleanor!" I called out as I started down the stairs as quickly as I could manage. "I overslept again, and I'm really sorry! I had the weirdest dream though that I-" I stopped short as I reached the bottom of the stair and turned the corner to be faced with Simon instead of Eleanor, "Oh! Umm, good morning or, well, afternoon, Mr. Timmons," I quickly composed myself. "Where's Eleanor?"

"I'm picking up some shifts to help her out, but she'll be back to close up later," he responded. "Are you okay? You look a little peaky," he said with a concerned frown as he looked me over quickly.

"Oh, yes, well, I mean…I'm fine, nothing out of the ordinary, just routine fatigue, morning sickness, and whatnot," I stammered, "thank you."

"Is it getting worse?" he inquired. "I never got to talk to you afterward but the Doctor warned that it might be because of the extra toll."

"No, Mr. Timmons, honestly, I'm fine it's…" I paused as I fully took in his comment, "Wait, what extra toll?"

"You were supposed to have a follow-up to confirm, I thought you knew," he said with confusion.

"I'm lost, Mr. Timmons-"

"It's Simon," he cut in, "and, well, I don't want to scare you for something that might not be true, but he said you might be carrying multiples. It would account for the stress and toll it's taking on you lately."

"M-multiples?" I queried somewhat fearfully, "Like…twins?" What was I supposed to do? It was bad enough to think I was going to bear one child of Eric's. More than that was never even something I'd considered, seeing as I categorized any relations with him as past and never to be repeated. What was this going to mean? I could end up bringing two or more small 'Erics' into the world, and more importantly, into my life. I could feel all the blood draining from my face and the fear trembling through my limbs. Simon seemed to see it as well.

"Hey, hey, wooah," he said grabbing my arm and gently guiding me to sit down behind the counter, "Breathe. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. The doctor said it was merely an educated guess. It could be nothing." He said trying to bring some color back to my complexion. "I seem to have a knack for making you stress out, Alice," he said apologetically.

"It's not your fault," I said faintly. "Excuse me, I just need a moment," I continued, getting up slowly and walking back to the storage room, "I'll work on taking inventory."

He nodded his head cautiously, looking like he wished to say more. "Allison?" he called after me. I turned back to look at him. "I really mean it, I'm sorry about the stress I've made you undergo." he said, feelings of guilt plainly written in his features.

I smiled reassuringly, "I told you it's not your fault. I took on this burden, and I knew it was going to be difficult and even traumatic. But thank you for your concern."

Simon POV

It took another few days to get any conversation out of her again. Most of our time passed in awkward silence and a few stabs at conversation that never quite panned out. But though there was little conversation I could see her slowly getting more comfortable. She'd greet me with a chipper, "Good morning" and was quick to take on small tasks like inventory or restocking. When she wasn't doing those things and business was slow she'd either work on a book or browse for a new one and read behind the counter. She was doing so when a shipment arrived to move into the storage room.

"Do you need any help with those?" She asked as I carried in the two boxes.

"No, I got this one, Alice, go back to your book," I said dismissively as I disappeared into the back room to put down the boxes and then came back out behind the counter to grab the list to check we'd gotten everything.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" she asked looking up.

I turned in surprise, she was making conversation. That was a good step. "Calling you what?"

"Alice. You do know that's not my name, right? My name is Allison." she stated with a bit of worry.

I laughed and leaned against the counter crossing my arms, "It's just a shortened version of Allison. Three syllables take too much energy."

"Alice isn't a shortened version of Allison, it's like a completely different name!" she said with a shy smile. What was this? She was smiling at me and keeping up a conversation, two things that were rare alone but together, was completely unprecedented. And if I wasn't mistaken she was bantering with me. Who was this girl and what had she done with Allison? I preceded carefully, pretending as if this was something that happened every day.

"What? It totally is! You can't say 'Allison' without saying 'Alice' therefore, it's a nickname."

"People named 'Alice' aren't short for 'Allison' though. So my name is Allison not Alice. They're spelled differently and everything." She reasoned.

""Well, if we're being picky your name isn't Allison either," I teased, "Maybe you chose Allison because your real name is Alice and they sound enough alike that it wouldn't throw you off as much," I speculated. She giggled.

"Or it sounds like it maybe?" I continued, "Starts with the same letter? Addison? Abigail? Alyssa?" I guessed.

She rolled her eyes playfully and turned back to her book, "Very funny."

I continued while walking into the back room again. "Alaina? Agatha?" I called out.

"Agatha, who's named that anymore?" she said with mock offense.

"So I can rule that one out. How about Bridget? Bethany?"

"Giving up on the A's already? Presumptuous much," she quipped back not looking up.

"Who said I was going alphabetically? Though maybe I should rule out A's."

"I'm not giving you anything, Mr. Timmons," she said.

"Come on you have to rule out a few letter for my sake! And how many times do I have to say that it's Simon. You can just call me Simon, Alice."

She looked up and blushed slightly, "Well you haven't guessed it yet. And maybe I'll consider ruling some out. Like Q, V, X, Y, Z-"

"Oh come on! Those are throw-aways! Give me a good one!" I pretended to complain.

"You're impossible," she said rolling her eyes playfully and going back to her book. I took my cue, "Whatever you say, Christine," I called back as I retreated to the back room with a smile.

"Nope," she responded.

I'd finally found my in.


	13. Chapter 13

ISFNE Chapter 13

A/N: Hey sorry the update took so long, but I'm rewarding your patience with two chapters :D (yes, yes, I know you're oh-so welcome ;)) Happy 2017 btw. Here's to a great new year. Hope you like the story :)

Simon POV

Allison and I were finally on speaking terms, something that relieved me to no end. Though we'd had a rough start and had been basically strangers for the first month or so, we were finally bridging that gap and building a friendship, tentative as it was. Allison was not quick to trust, she would converse, she would even go as far as to tease in rare cases but she was still reserved in anything else. I tried to let her be, I would never get anywhere unless I let things take their time. I had just popped upstairs to grab something while Allison was helping a customer. When I came back down I went into the storage room and heard her finish up with the customer and the tinkle of bells that said they'd left.

"Simon!"

I jerked up immediately and looked out to see Allison looking awe-struck. She saw me out of the corner of her eye and turned smiling, "Come here! I felt it kick!"

Amazed at the entire situation I walked over and bent down, "May I?" I asked. She nodded. It took a few moments before I felt it too. I smiled at her and stood, taking a step back, "I've never understood how that could be a comfortable feeling."

"It's not," she said with a smile, "but…it just makes it so much more real."

I put a hand on her shoulder in concern, knowing that the thought could take her down that dark rabbit hole but she looked up at me and gave a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, don't worry, but thank you," she said taking a step away and sitting down with her book, making me drop my hand back to my side. She always did that, seemed to back out of any sort of touch between us after mere moments. She'd always seem to be bridging the gap slightly and then would retreat when I did the same. It was confusing at best, hurtful at other times, although I knew it wasn't done in scorn. So I continued to let it happen on her terms, knowing it was the only way to gain her trust. Something about this time had been different though, I couldn't quite put my finger on it until-

"You called me Simon," I said leaning on the counter and crossing my arms. She looked up from the book, cheeks flushing ever so slightly. She looked cute when she was flustered.

I thought about teasing her for it or making a joke out of it, but both risked her reverting back to 'Mr. Timmons', since I'd already pointed out her slip up.

"Thanks," I said with a grin before standing and walking out from behind the counter to tidy the store, not missing her face before I'd turned. I'd surprised her, and I could feel her still staring as I walked away. My sincerity had caught her off guard. I could only hope she wouldn't back away again.

Eric POV

She had finally let go. She'd been stemming her emotions and my ability to communicate with her for so long, but after our last meeting it'd only been a day or two before she'd let go out of the blue. I had yet to take advantage of it, my silent thanks to her in conceding anything at all to me, but I was still trying to carefully glean everything I could without actively connecting. Strong emotions would make their way into my consciousness while others would seep in, if long sustained, and when I felt them I took note of what they were, when they happened, and tried to pinpoint what could be their cause.

She'd feel content every once in a while, there were definite moments of fear and panic that would come forcefully and evaporate just as quickly, and there were even moments where I would swear she was feeling bashful and nervous. Most of what I would feel though, was just a constant anxiety that she carried with her seeping into every nook of our bond. This was, of course, intriguing at best but worrying and confounding most of the time. I could explain her contentedness somewhat; she was happy to have escaped, to think of a life alone comforted her before she would let reality creep back in. Her sudden bout of panic or fear especially when followed closely by that bashfulness confused me though, but they were infrequent and insignificant compared to her constant state of anxiety. There were, obviously, a million circumstances to attribute her anxiety to, even without knowing any of her context. I didn't even know what continent she was on, let alone whether she was in positions of risk on a daily basis.

I sat back in my chair and rubbed my temples as I thought about it. Why had I had to lose her when she was still so vulnerable? I had absolutely no way to protect her and I resented her for it, especially when it was more than just her that needed protecting. Rumor was already spreading that the Dracula had lost his bride. There was widespread knowledge of the attempted coup, of course, and speculation about it's roots. Some knew parts of the story, it was fable at best, but the whispers that the Dracula had taken another bride and she had been able to escape were getting louder. I'd been lucky for the reprieve in not having to present her since there was such unrest, it had bought me time and not told my world of her existence making her escape easier to cover up; but now that the details of the war were leaking out the rumors were starting. Once I got Faith back the story could be told in full, but for now, I had to save face. I couldn't risk looking weak.

Allison POV

A sense of normalcy was finally setting into my life. It was weird, especially since my life was obviously anything but normal, what with me living with people who had no relation to me, carrying twin Dhamphirs, and being on the run from a vampire overlord. Yet, somehow, I was starting to have a sense of routine and belonging. Eleanor became a second mother to me, in fact, I took to calling her Grams as Simon did, which made her very happy. After I'd gone back to confirm that I was indeed carrying twins she'd insisted on getting a nursery area ready for them. The small office space was designated to them across the hallway from my bedroom, or what had been Simon's bedroom. She called out favors from friends to find necessities like cribs, a changing table, a bouncer, some old clothes, and even a playpen. It was the kindest thing I'd ever had done for me and I had tried valiantly to refuse such generosity but she insisted. "You're practically family, hon, I want to give you your best chance."

Even with Simon, things seemed to have come to a friendly middle-ground. We had friendly rapport and he still continued his little game of calling me different names at random. I wasn't worried by the game. Even if he did ever come up with it, which was doubtful at best, I had told him it wasn't going to change anything.

"Phoebe, what if I do actually get your name? You promise you'd to tell me, right?" he asked leaning up against the counter while I read my book, holding it up in front of my face. I looked up briefly and then went back to reading.

"I promised nothing of the sort," I said refusing to meet his gaze.

"Well, Caroline, I realize that you haven't which is why I'm trying to say you should, I mean it's only fair considering."

"I will not," I responded, and tried valiantly to keep myself focused on the book.

There was a silence. "Why not, Alice?"

Dang, that meant he'd stopped playing around when he used my name, or at least my nickname. I brought the book down at that. "Have you ever considered that there's probably a reason I don't want anyone to know my real name?" I asked finally looking him in the eye.

He leaned a little further over the desk and folded his hands in front of him, "Well, I have many theories about your secret double life as a German spy, wanted criminal, escaped illegal experiment, or…Oh! Actually I recently came up with a rogue alien theory, _that_ was an interesting backstory…" he said maintaining a straight face and finally cracking a smile when I playfully pushed his shoulder.

"Simon, I'm serious!" I said unable to keep from smiling a little at his antics but quickly turning serious again. "I don't want my name anymore. I'm not her. I'm trying to get away from what she was and what she experienced. And that would be a lot harder if I let anyone in this new life know who I was."

"Alice, the odds are ever in your favor. I guess I understand but… could you at least promise not to lie outright about it?"

"How's this, if by some miracle you guess it I will acknowledge with the simple caveat that you never use it again or tell anyone of it," I said giving in.

"You have my promise," he said in all seriousness and then tacked on a hesitant, "Melanie?'

I smiled and picked up my book again, "No."

It had been a week since that interaction, and almost a month that he'd continued his little game. I indulged it; besides, it was fun to see what he would come up with, but I grew more and more worried at his sustained interest. Why did he care about anything related to me?

"Hey, Kristin, did you seriously take stock already?" Simon said rounding the corner of the counter.

"Yep, it was really slow this morning so Grams made a quick run to the store and I decided I'd get stock out of the way."

"You really should take a load off. You're making everyone nervous."

"I'm fine."

"Alice, don't make me have this argument with you again. You're swaying, you're getting lightheaded easily, and just generally exhausted. You need to slow yourself down," he said.

"I'm fine," I said quietly, "I'm going get a book order together," I said moving to get up. Simon quickly moved to stop me with a frown.

"Promise," he demanded.

"Promise what?"

"That this will be your last shift."

"You're being pushy," I said quietly. He made me anxious when he got that way. I figured it had something to do with how Eric had controlled my life and forced me into things that I panicked when others tried to do the same, Simon was the biggest offender thus far. I was trying to desensitize to it but it was difficult. I rationally knew he was coming from good intentions but I couldn't get rid of the waves of anxiety and panic that would come with it.

He backed off. "And you're being stubborn. There's no shame in slowing down."

"It's called a work-ethic."

He smiled slightly, "No, I think it's called trying to earn your keep. Which Grams has stated many times you don't need to do."

Why could he always see right through me? I might as well plaster my thoughts on my forehead. "I'm not going to take advantage of your grandmother's kindness. I'm going to pull as much weight as I can for as long as I can."

"You have, Allison, alright? Don't make me tell Grams you're still not feeling at home. She'll be heartbroken."

"No, please!" I said, real desperation coloring my voice, "I just don't want-" I stopped short, knowing I'd already tipped my hand and trying desperately to recover before Simon would guess my motivations. He was looking at me with surprise at my small outburst.

"What?" he said, frowning, "What's the matter?"

"Never mind. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," I said meekly and stood up quickly to retreat - and nearly fell from the head rush it led to. Simon was, of course, there instantly to catch me, though I quickly pulled myself up refusing as much help as possible, upset that I'd just proved his point. I turned to face him ready to for his rebuke but instead he was looking at me with what seemed to be pity.

"Please?" he asked quietly. I looked at him questioningly, "Slow down at least? Let me do the grunt work. If you're going to be this way at least cut back and promise to be done at the end of the month."

I looked away from him, afraid he'd read more into what I'd said before. "Okay." I whispered. _I don't want any reason to change your mind. People always change their minds._

Simon POV

I'd scared her and I feared I quickly could lose her trust.

"Hey, please don't be like that, Allison," I said cajolingly, "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's nothing. Like I said, I shouldn't have said anything."

"Allison, I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it, you're just scaring me and Grams. We only want you to be safe."

"I know," She said, "I'm going to go lay down," she added quietly. She turned and slowly made her way up the stairs to the apartment leaving me to wonder at her actions and hope that I hadn't caused too much damage.


	14. Chapter 14

ISFNE Chapter 14

Allison POV

I woke to find myself in the halfway room laid out on one of the sofas, my head cradled in Eric's lap, I let out a startled yelp and clamped my hands over my mouth to suppress it as I saw Eric's frown. It was not a frown of anger, but I still could not pinpoint his emotional state.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, love," he said. I scrambled to get up but felt my vision go fuzzy and Eric quickly caught me and laid me back down, "Woah, no, stay down for now, you already passed out once."

"I did? When?" I questioned closing my eyes and grimacing in pain.

"When you first got here maybe ten minutes ago, you're lucky I was ready to catch you."

"I-I don't even remember dreaming to get here…"

"You didn't, this time I pulled you here."

I peaked at him in confusion and he sighed and quickly summarized, "We've established this connection well enough that you could come here with much less persuasion and prompting. Think of it as muscle memory almost. I had to do much less for it to kick in and you barely even began your nightmare. That's not the point, Faith. The point is that this muscle memory served you a little too well and since getting here your projection has not dropped the entire time."

I dropped my hands completely and reached for a strand of my hair. Sure enough, it was long and honey brown. I looked at the rest of myself laid across the couch; no baby bump, and I was dressed in my baggy t-shirt and soccer shorts. I really had held my projection without knowing it. I would have been proud if I hadn't already sensed something in Eric's tone: frustration.

"I want to stand up," I said quietly.

"You're staying right here," he said sternly.

"Help me stand up, Eric, I will not have this fight, or whatever it's going to be, though I'm sensing it's a fight, at such a direct disadvantage."

"If you let go of your projection you might have the strength to stand by yourself," he retorted calmly.

It was a warning; we both knew it. This was going to get ugly fast if I didn't do something. I let my consciousness edge to the exit only to have it slammed down by Eric's power. I involuntarily let out a gasp. It hadn't hurt, it had just taken me by surprise.

"I had a feeling you might try to do that."

"What do you want, Eric? Why did you pull me here tonight?" I snapped.

"I've tried to pull you here a couple times but you're so damn stubborn even when you're unconscious. It just happened to work tonight. As for what I want," he said as his hand ran through my hair, "what I want is your safety-"

"Cowpies," I said finally sitting up pushing off his half-hearted attempt to push me down again. My head spun slightly but I kneeled on the sofa staring Eric down, my anger mounting.

"Be careful, you're going to pass out again," he said his voice still calm, his face full of what looked like concern as he reached out and grabbed my arm.

"Let me go!" I said wrenching it away as though he'd burned me and trying again to exit and getting the door slammed once more.

"Faith, please stop this. Let me talk," he said his voice pleading. "This is for your own good. You are not leaving until you drop this façade and tell me where I can find you-"

"You can't do this! You said this was neutral ground! YOU ASSURED ME YOU WOULDN'T HURT ME," I screamed.

"I don't want to, Faith, but you're not giving me many options here! You want to know why I can even do this? I'm not using an exorbitant amount of power to keep you here, you should, in your normal state, be able to easily push past me. But you keep draining yourself with this mask and you have nothing to resist with."

Eric POV

"Let me go, Eric!"

"No!" I spat back sharper than I intended. "I've played by your rules for almost four months now, Faith. Four long, torturous months I have let you have your freedom and done nothing but cajole and plead hoping you would change your mind of your own volition. And I would continue to do so if the circumstances were not so desperate. I'm not letting you die."

"LET ME GO, It's my life!" she screamed again as she threw herself mentally again to exit and fell short.

"NO, FAITH, IT'S NOT YOUR LIFE," I finally shouted back pinning her back down on the sofa, sending a jolt of absolute terror through her as she went stiff as a board, a heart-wrenching sob escaping her, but I didn't care at the moment.

"It is the life of my child as well as my bride who I am sworn to protect, even from herself! Don't you dare try to cast me as the villain for not allowing you to follow through with this! It's nothing short of suicide!" I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself, "This was supposed to be easy. I'd pull you here before you had time to put up your projection and you'd wake up already revealed but you and your…" I trailed off, my frustration getting the better of me again as I valiantly tried to reign in my temper. I felt her shift slightly and relaxed my grip on her arms seeing her legs posed to lash out at my next wrong move. "I don't want to hurt you, love," I finally pleaded, my voice cracking. Why was this so damn hard? "But I refuse to stand by and let you fade more and more each day and eventually die taking my child with you!" I said, a passion coming into my voice that I could barely restrain. This situation was much too familiar. If the circumstances were different I would have marveled at the ways Faith seemed to take the worst pages from her predecessors. But, for now, I was only consumed with fear; I would not see the same fate as _my_ predecessor.

Tears were freely flowing down her face as she began weakly trying to flail out of my grasp, "STOP. MAKE IT STOP," she screamed, fear coming off of her in waves and a slight flicker in her projection following it.

"Help me help you, Vi," I was edging dangerously close to previous fight territory having to use my attentions to scare answers out of her, something I was loathe to do. I didn't want her to associate my attentions constantly with punishment, but it was effective and I needed answers now. I shifted myself to straddle her and moved to hold both her arms in one hand as I let the other one tease it's way slowly down her arm making her shudder. I gripped her chin gently and tilted it upward to expose her lovely throat, wishing more than ever that it was possible to complete our bond through this connection. She whimpered as I kissed her softly at the point where her neck met her clavicle and I heard her start to think something to herself addled as her mind was with fear.

I kept up my actions, but focused my attention on her train of thought that she was so intently repeating to herself, trying to make it out. _This isn't really happening, it's only in my head. This isn't really happening, it's only in my head._ I drew back and caressed her cheek, wiping away the tears clinging to her eyelashes.

"You're wrong you know," I said sitting up. This, of course, grabbed her attention as I had stopped and was also responding to something she wasn't aware she'd shared. "Yes, this may not be happening in reality but it is still going to have consequences."

"You-you said there would be no-no-" she tried to calm her panicked breathing but it was no use.

"No lasting physical consequences, yes," I said, "but short term? Absolutely." I said nipping and sucking at her neck until I knew there would be a visible bruise, earning me a small mewl of pain. "Yes, I can't harm you here. If I were to take you now, assuming you weren't already pregnant, you could never come away from here as such. If you were virginal you would never leave here as anything less, but there would be remnants. Soreness mostly. Some bruising, maybe even a faded scar," I said nipping again at her new love-bite earning another whimper. "So maybe you should keep that in mind if you would like to continue fighting with me. You still might regret it when you wake up." I knew that one would be a good scare for her and hoped it would bring her to the edge. In truth, I wasn't willing to do anything more than nip and kiss. It didn't take much to send her into a panic, it shouldn't take much to get her talking.

I kissed her lips and strained to taste her but there was nothing to taste. She wasn't here with me. This whole thing was empty because it didn't give me the scents, the tastes, the true feeling of my bride. If she was paying attention she would notice too that though my touch was corporeal, it wasn't completely there and she couldn't truly experience much of her other senses except sight and sound. Of course, she was busy having a new nightmare created.

"I don't want to do this, love," I whispered in her ear and followed it with a kiss. "And I will not when I do come to you. I have no wish to force you in any way," I let my free hand trail down her side to the edge of her shirt and began to slowly hike it up leading to an attempt to kick me and then a few bucks of her hips to dislodge me. It did anything but, especially as she all but thrusted against me with her hips.

"I would stop doing that, unless you're craving something more than teasing," I said with false levity that I knew came off as a warning, trying not to let myself become aroused by her actions. She froze immediately at that and then tried to kick again with renewed vigor and failing miserably. I kissed at her throat again, "Give me a location, darling, and I will let you wake up. Let me find you. Let me change," I said slipping my hand under her shirt to stroke her flat belly, longing to see it in it's pregnant glory, "Let me help you, let me cherish you, let me love you," I pleaded.

"Stop, please, please, stop," she cried, flickering as I kissed her stomach before she secured herself again, tears running rivers down her face, her eyes red and puffy. "I'm not yours. Please, stop this."

Allison POV

"You know how this stops," he said but he didn't move to do anything else, which gave me a moment to think.

"You're wrong!" I cried out, "I don't know how it stops, Eric! It's never stopped! Each and every day I live with the nightmare you put me through and all you're doing right now is adding new material! SO LET ME GO."

"That would be a death sentence, Faith! You will DIE if you don't allow me to help you!" he shot back.

"I will find a way! Medicine has come a long way since you were in the world. I will be fine!"

"The only thing it will help will be in prolonging your suffering. You're already suffering, you're already dying."

"BECAUSE OF YOU," I interjected. I tried to catch onto the exit and was blocked again. I wished with everything in me that I could wake up. Wait…wake up. Maybe I could. That was my answer. I had to wake myself up. But how…

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine myself asleep in bed, imagined the feeling of the sheets, the comforter on top of me. But Eric was quick to catch onto my plan.

"No! Faith, you listen to me, you are not getting out that easily. I will not let you die!" He tried to distract me with renewed vigor. I tried to ignore it and think as hard as I could about my room in the apartment. I was lying down, my pillow was soft and I knew I was hugging it with one arm. Eric tried valiantly to divert my focus but it only made me more determined. And then I felt it. The weight of sheets on my body, the softness of a pillow under my head. Eric's pleas sounded more and more distant. I could barely even hear…

I sat bolt upright in bed with a gasp and strangled sob and looked over myself and around the room earnestly for any signs that Eric was still here and began crying in relief as I realized I'd escaped. After a few minutes of silent, joyful tears I carefully got up and went across the hall to the bathroom to wash my face. I turned on the light and bent down to splash some cold water on my face to get rid of my puffiness and, after wiping my face with a towel, stared at myself in the mirror. A faded bruise that looked as though it were a week old stared back from right above my clavicle.


	15. Chapter 15

ISFNE Chapter 15

Eric POV

I'd seen the inspiration strike her and had known immediately all was lost. I tried to distract her but she'd already figured out her loophole and had begun fading quickly. Despite my best efforts I felt tears begin to prick at my eyes when she disappeared completely. I'd lost her. She was as good as dead. She'd stop up our conversation sucking more of her energy. She'd eventually give birth and I'd feel our connection stretch thin, I'd maybe be able to speak with her briefly and then I'd have to feel her die from however many miles away and let her take what was left of my soul with her. And my child. I clenched my fist at that, I would never even get to meet my child. Damnations I had to find Faith, I refused to be twice widowed this young. And I would probably never be given the blessing of another mate either. I didn't know if I would want to. I'd ruined two beautiful girls' lives and ended up killing both of them if I already considered Faith dead. Maybe it was best I never condemn another to the same fate. I'd have a war on my hands for sure with the passing of my title but- I stopped short and let a pained sob escape and took a deep breath. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the necklace in it. Faith's locket. Faith wasn't dead yet. I repeated that to myself a few times and sat down at my desk pulling out the journal and a calendar. I was going to get to her and return that locket to it's owner.

Marissa POV

"MARISSA I'VE GOT HER!" Max yelled from the other room. I came sprinting and found him on his laptop with airport security footage he'd hacked. There in the corner of the screen was Faith in her blue hoodie. He switched cameras and we watched as she walked up to a man with her ticket and had a conversation with her back to the camera. "Hold on, I'll get her," Max said toggling between a few different cameras before we found a side view of her in the background. We watched as she traded tickets with the man, walked up to the check-in desk and said something to the attendant who then waved her through.

"How-how did she do that?" I asked.

"Same way she got past you. Eric's power," Max said. "That's why you felt his signature when you fell asleep."

"That's…insane," I whispered.

"Yeah, kinda," Max responded. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, unfortunately this means we can't track a money trail either, she didn't use a phony ID or anything, she flew as someone else."

"So what do we know?"

"I think we know she's state-side."

"Great so that narrows it to-"

"Almost 320 million people."

"It's a lot less that 7.4 billion?" I said trying to sound upbeat.

"Well when you put it like that it sounds like a huge discovery." He said smiling slightly, "Although I was fairly certain from the beginning that was where she'd go back to. Mortal's like what they know."

"Well now you're almost sure."

"Yeah," he said with a sigh, "Almost…"

"So what's our next move?" I asked quietly.

"Well, I'm trying to figure that out really. I mean we don't really know that much. We can maybe assume she's in the states but we can't be positive because there's no way to track her. We also know she's alone for now, she's pregnant-" he stopped short and I could immediately tell that he had an idea.

"What about that, Max? What does that mean?"

"I think we should take that trip you mentioned. Eric could do with some company again."

Grams POV

Allison was ill and Simon was gone for the weekend with Carly. She'd stopped her shifts much earlier than anticipated and was now staying in bed. She insisted it was a cold or the flu, nothing awful but I worried it was nothing of the sort. She'd been slowing down considerably over the past month and Simon and I had definitely noticed. I'd tasked Simon with telling her to take it easy but she was stubborn as they came. How someone so sweet and soft-spoken could be so headstrong I had no clue, but she'd been determined to stay working until she'd literally collapsed trying to get out of bed. She'd been weak and nauseated and had thrown-up anything other than soup. I'd confined her to her room and refused to let her do anything until Simon got back today. I'd called to ask him about the severity and he'd assured me that keeping her in bed was the best course of action until he got back and could assess her state.

I heard the apartment door open as I was doing the dishes and could tell Simon was back by the thud of his backpack hitting the floor. I got up from my chair as Simon rounded the corner to the living area, cleaning his glasses and then placing them back.

"You're back early," I commented.

"Carly and I broke up," he said dismissively, "How is she?"

"I don't know; she's eating a little but she's still in an awful state. Are you sure we shouldn't take her into the hospital?"

"I'll check but there's no reason to panic, it could even just be a really bad bout of morning sickness," he said calmly, leaving to climb the stairs to see Allison.

I couldn't make those two out. They seemed to be getting along well enough during their time together in the stores, but there was still a tension between them I couldn't quite figure out. I'd be lying if I didn't entertain the idea of getting the two together. She was younger than him, no doubt, but she was mature beyond her years, and so sweet and loving. She was a match for Simon's wit and though he would never admit it to himself, Simon was falling for her, and if he wasn't already, he would. Call it intuition or the fact that I'd raised the boy, but I knew him and could read him like a book.

I went back to scrubbing at the dishes, trying to listen for any bit of conversation from Simon's room but no such luck. I wished for her sake that the rest of her pregnancy would go smoothly and be over quickly. She was family now after all.

Allison POV

I was startle from my reading by Simon coming into the room. "You're back early," I said softly.

"Well I wasn't going to waste any time in coming back to say 'I told you so'," he said, irritation coloring his tone. "What were you thinking?" he asked with rebuke, as he began rolling up his sleeves. "I told you to slow down."

"I'm fine, really, it's probably just a cold or the flu," I said with as much energy as I could muster. In truth, I knew it wasn't. It had come on so suddenly during the past few days that it wasn't natural. I'd had sudden and crippling fatigue, I'd been vomiting and felt nauseated non-stop. Grams fed me soup which was all I could keep down but none of it was helping me. I could almost feel my children siphoning off of me, stealing the nutrients my body needed, sucking all the energy I had to give. It was frightening and my body was rebelling against itself not knowing how to get rid of what it deemed a parasite. The past few times it had even rejected the soup. Of course, Simon or any other doctor couldn't know any of this. It would be lunacy to them.

I was startled as Simon put his hand on my forehead and pulled back reflexively but he followed my moment undeterred and then grabbed the thermometer from the side-table. "You're not showing an awful fever from what I can tell, but you're sweating," he said more to himself than me. "Use this," he said handing me the thermometer.

"It was 99 yesterday, it's just a-"

"Just do it," he said brusquely.

I complied and handed it back the moment it beeped. He frowned.

He took my hand and searched my wrist for a pulse and checked his watch to time it.

"Simon, this is completely unnecessary, just-" I tried to persuade him attempting to tug my wrist away, not liking how much attention he was showing.

"Indulge me," he snapped not letting me budge, "I don't like you making light of this, Allison, this is serious."

I didn't respond but laid silent as he timed me for fifteen seconds, which might as well have been fifteen minutes for how long it seemed to take. "Your heart rate is up quite a bit," he stated, breaking the silence, "but it's nothing out of the ordinary."

I wanted to say 'I told you so' but I was too wary of what he might do or say next. He was still holding onto my wrist and I carefully pulled back my hand, thankful that he let go this time, and cradled it to my chest.

"I'm taking you to the clinic," he said with finality.

"I-" I tried to interject.

"No arguments," he said cutting me off as he got out his phone to look up the number, "Don't move," he said walking out of the room.

I covered my face with my hands; why was he so invested? He was supposed to not care, he was supposed to hate me, yet he'd stuck to neither of those. Why couldn't I get him to stop? I'd tried to warm up thinking he maybe only liked the challenge but that had only encouraged him. I'd tried distancing myself but he refused to let me. Why was he paying me any mind? What was I doing wrong?

Simon POV

The weekend with Carly had gone about as well as expected. What I hadn't told anyone is that though we'd excitedly booked it in advance, as it drew closer we became less and less enthused about going. We'd tried to have fun but had mutually ending the relationship by the end of it. I personally had been relieved. I hadn't realized how much of a charade it had been for my roommates until that weekend. Then Grams had called about Allison and I had my out. We both had packed up early and I'd dropped Carly off on the way home.

They had an appointment open tomorrow which I quickly took. I made my way to the kitchen, passing Grams who was opening a can of soup for Allison.

"How is she?"

I sighed, "I don't know. What I can measure is not giving me a lot of answers and most of it is conflicting. I made her an appointment at the clinic."

"But how is she doing?" she said turning up the heat on the stove.

"She's determined to not be sick but I've never seen her looking worse. She continues to reject my help which is always irritating," I said feeling defeated. "What am I doing wrong? I'm just so frustrated with her not letting me do anything for her. I just want us to be friends but she seems to wish we were still strangers."

She came and put her arm around me comfortingly, "She's scared, Simon," Grams said gently.

"Of me?"

"Of anyone who concerns themselves with her."

"But, why? Is she just that independent? That doesn't seem like her," I said in confusion.

"My guess, and it's a guess mind you," Grams said, "Is that she's been betrayed before. She's probably taking every precaution to never allow it again. And what is her solution?"

"Trust no one," I completed her thought. "But she trusts you."

"I hate to say it, Simon, but I don't pose as much of a threat to her as you, and it took her long enough with me."

That made everything click. Why she was scared of me, why she was so nervous, why she wouldn't trust. Her PTSD. Grams' insight was almost a bit too incisive, for by making everything clear, it hurt all the more. "But how do I change that?"

"Continue to give her every reason to trust you, and if you do betray her trust, acknowledge and fix it. That's all you can do. Just continue to extend the olive branch."

"Since when did you become such an expert, Grams?" I said grudgingly.

"I've been around a bit longer than you," she teased back, "Why don't you take her this soup?"

Allison POV

I looked up again as Simon reentered the room ready to play nice until I saw that he was holding a bowl of soup. I went on immediate alert. He sat on the edge of the bed by me and held out the bowl to me.

"You should eat something," he said.

"I can't keep anything down anymore, it's pointless," I said my stomach giving a well-timed growl.

"You should at least try. It's just broth, so it should stay down, if it doesn't we have other problems on our hands."

I reluctantly took the bowl and started sipping it as we sat in silence. I didn't really want to start any conversation that would make him stay longer but I was determined to be civil. He thankfully saved me the trouble.

"I've been meaning to ask if you've thought of any names," he said.

"Well, I've come up with quite a few. I'm working on organizing them into good first and middle name pairs."

"Are you hoping for anything in particular? Identical, fraternal, boys, girls?"

"I'm preparing for any combination. Two girl names, two boy names, so we'll see I guess." That is if I lived to name them, or if they lived as well. How could they not though, when they were being strengthened everyday by the energy they siphoned off of me. I'd make a note with the names I guess, to be opened in case of my death. I shuddered a little at that. I didn't want to die, especially knowing how agonizing it was going to be based on my current state. But I also wanted with all of my being to never be Eric's captive again. It was a rock and a hard place to be sure, but I'd made my decision. There seemed to be no going back.

"Alice, did you hear me?" Simon asked in concern, startling me out of my thoughts. I felt my face heat in embarrassment.

"No, I'm sorry, I got caught up in my thoughts. What was the question?"

"I just asked about the names. I could definitely recommend 'Simon' it's served me quite well," he said with a teasing smile.

"No, you're going to have wait like everyone else," I answered looking down at my hands. Then nausea came over me like a punch in the gut. _Not now,_ I thought to myself, _throw up when Simon's gone._ My body, of course, paid no heed. I reached down for the trash can that was by the bedside and dry-heaved, trying to throw up what little I'd just eaten. I suddenly felt Simon's hands gently gather my hair away from my face as I retched. It was embarrassing to be certain but all the pain made it hard to care in the moment.

Simon POV

As soon as I saw her go for the garbage can, college instinct kicked in. I carefully gathered her hair away from her face as I had for a few girls in my early college days. It took her a few minutes to settle and she ended up keeping the broth down, but it was obviously a struggle. She pulled away arching her back so her hair slid out of my hands before going limp with exhaustion. I moved to catch her but she shrugged my hand off and laid back down herself, panting with the exertion and pain. I tried not to let it phase me and gently smoothed her hair away from her face feeling her flinch away as I did so.

"Hey, it's fine, it's just me," I said gently, "I'm going to get you a cold cloth real quick, okay?"

She only gave a small moan in response and as she turned away I thought I caught a glimpse of a bruise on her neck, but it was so faint I could be mistaken.

As soon as I got outside the room I sighed, taking off my glasses and rubbing the bridge of my nose before replacing them. I couldn't win with her. Everything I did was something for her to avoid and shy from no matter how harmless. It was getting more noticeable and intentional. The few seconds she had let me take her pulse had been the longest contact she'd probably ever allowed me and she'd still been resistant. I just had to stay persistent in showing her I meant no harm, but how long would it take for her to trust me?

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading the chapter. I'm currently living abroad and the wifi only works like 40% of the time at best and so while my netflix buffers for the 16,000,000th time I'm left with no choice but to occupy myself by writing. So you're getting much more consistent updates and you can thank sketchy wifi for that. Idk I really hope you are enjoying the story, I know it seems like it's taking a super long and random detour but I PROMISE it all has a very specific purpose but it needs a lot of time to develop. TRUST ME PLEASE?! Idk I'm just really worried cuz this story isn't getting as much traffic or feedback as the first part did...I'm paranoid though. BUT DON'T THINK IT MEANS I DON'T APPRECIATE YOU PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE CUZ I LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH OKAY? I DON'T WANT TO APPEAR UNGRATEFUL IN ANY WAY. Sorry, that was weird and rant-y and if you actually read it all I love you even more (shhh don't tell the other readers). Okay byyeee idk why I wrote this note. -allisonfreedman


	16. Chapter 16

ISFNE Chapter 16

Eric POV

 _I lost her. I don't have anything else to write truly. She escaped me and has evaded me for almost four months now and I feel no closer to finding her, even with the discovery of her pregnancy. Now I not only have her life at risk but also that of my heir, yet she refuses to yield. I don't know how to reach her, I've done everything I can and more than I wished to find her. If only things had gone differently, if I only had even a speck of her trust and hadn't betrayed her, maybe I wouldn't have lost her, maybe she would have never run. These thoughts plague me to no end. I will not surrender in this battle of wills though. She is mine and I, unfortunately, am completely hers. I have to hope I can still find her or give in to utter despair. I choose the former for now. _

I finished off the sentence and leaned back in my chair, toying with the locket in my other hand. I put down my pen and carefully opened the locket to look at the picture of Faith nestled between her mother and father. What would I give to have that be our family? Family. I'd barely entertained the idea since I'd been so intent on finding my bride for so long and then busy with actually taking her as mine that until I'd discovered Faith's state I had hardly even thought of the prospect of starting a family with her. It had been something for years in the future when I could finally gain her affections. But now with the reality of a family so close, it was being snatched from me. I studied the picture more, wondering if a daughter would be lucky enough to inherit her mother's beauty. Or a son, would he take after his father? What would our children look like? I smiled grimly, here I was entertaining the idea of 'children' plural when my bride was intent on keeping herself and my unborn child forever separated from me, even by death. It looked doubtful I would even get my one child, let alone more. It was always a dream though.

I shook the train of thought away and grabbed the calendar once again, trying desperately to mark out a week or so where I knew the child had been conceived. I couldn't know if it was from our first or second coupling until she actually gave birth, Dhamphirs were historically very consistent. There was only a week or so in between our two nights though, it may not be truly evident which night it was. I obviously hoped for the second, the child would definitely have been conceived under slightly better circumstances then. I marked out the general half month and counted out six months from then. I had maybe two weeks to rescue her. If God was listening, he had to know I was working in her best interest now. "Keep her safe," I muttered, "If you are truly watching over her at all, keep her and my child safe."

Grams POV

The appointment at the clinic garnered no answers. Allison was perfectly healthy in theory. She was dehydrated and weak from her lack of nutrition in the past few days but they sent her back saying they could find nothing wrong and that she only needed rest. Simon was less than convinced but continued to help me care for her, bringing her soup, books, taking her temperature every so often, and recently helping her to the bathroom. I gave a grim smile at that memory. That had been a conversation I'd overheard loud and clear.

"I'll be fine! It's right down the hall!" I heard Allison pipe up as I was loading the dishwasher. I listened carefully, knowing she was arguing with Simon and interested to hear what about, who would win, and whether I would need to become a well-timed interruption.

"Allison, you can barely make it out of bed, what makes you think you can make it to the bathroom? Just let me help you there, it's not a big deal." I heard Simon reason back.

"Don't!" I heard Allison yelp accompanied by the sound of something hitting the bed.

"Woah, easy!" I heard Simon retort with a bit of rebuke. What had just happened?

I couldn't hear Allison's response but worried that I might have to intervene until I heard Simon's next response.

"Fine, prove me wrong. If you can make it out to the hall, I'll drop it." I smiled secretly from my spot downstairs; Simon always knew how to win an argument. I heard nothing for the next minute and then I heard stumbling and a small squeak of protest.

"No arguments," was the last I heard of it though there was obviously something being discussed upstairs at a lower volume. Simon came down later, exhaustion written in his face. No words were needed to know how much it was wearing on him to win Allison's trust.

"Don't give up," I said rubbing his back briefly. He nodded despondently and went down to the bookstore.

Simon POV

I sat at the counter for the bookstore lost in thought as I reevaluated my every move from the argument I'd just had with Allison. I just couldn't understand what I was doing that made her so wary. She was so opposed to me being anything more than an acquaintance and I had no idea why. I just wanted her trust, but I was getting tired of not getting answers.

"Why are you always so stubborn when it comes to accepting my help?" I'd asked rhetorically after I caught her mid-stumble.

She leaned on me to help her back to the bed, "Why are you always so insistent in offering it?" she snipped back weakly. I tried my best to keep my annoyance hidden as she quickly pushed me away when we neared the bed and stumbled in by herself. I stood quietly by the door as she settled with a bout of coughs.

"Accepting help isn't weakness you know."

She looked at me with surprise and confusion, "What?"

"Well you asked why I insist on offering you help. It's because you need it. The only reason I'm so insistent is because you act like others are the enemy. So you strike out and try to do everything yourself because, in your eyes, any shortcoming is a chance to be exploited. So you see need as weakness. Trust isn't always misplaced, Alice."

She stared at me somewhat dumbstruck and was about to respond but I cut her off before she got a word out. "I'll be sleeping out on the landing, if you need anything, you are going to ask for it, understood?" Her mouth snapped shut and, with a little bit of fear in her eyes, she nodded cautiously before laying down again.

Allison POV

I laid there with Simon's accusation still running through my head. Was he right? Did I truly see any shortcoming as a chance to be exploited? And if I did, why? For the first time I laid there and evaluated my own psyche, trying to reason out why I was doing what I was doing. As I did so, I realized that Simon was completely right. I feared putting any trust in him because I'd had my trust betrayed before by so many different people, most recently by Max, by Marissa, and most of all by Eric. And as I evaluated further though, I realized what I was doing to Simon. I was treating him like Eric, and that was completely unfair of me. I was acting as though he had already betrayed me when, in reality, he'd shown me so much kindness. Yes, I made him lose his temper, and, yes, he hadn't trusted me at the start but now…Now I didn't know why I was pushing him away so much. I shied away from that road and tucked the rest of my near revelations away for later. Whatever my reasoning, it was unfair. Hadn't I always been one to give the benefit of the doubt? Hadn't I always believed in the good in people? Yes, I'd been proven wrong but even in the people who had wronged me most I saw good. Didn't Simon deserve that?

"Lord, take away my distrust. Help me see a clean slate," I prayed quietly. It was going to take a lot of work; of that I was certain.

Simon POV

"Man, you've been so weird since you broke up with Carly, are you okay?" Kyle asked when I arrived back at the apartment the next afternoon, having left Allison with Grams.

"Yeah, Si, we've been kinda worried about you," Chloe piped up as well.

"Guys I'm fine. Maybe a little stressed but fine," I said as I flopped into on of the chairs by the TV.

I saw them exchange a glance and turn their attention to me again. "Come on, level with us," Chloe pleaded sitting next to me.

"Chloe, please, I'm fine," I said.

"Fine. If you say so," she said with a shrug that told me she didn't believe me. She stood and then addressed me over her shoulder. "By the way, I can set you up again if you'd like. The four of us were going to go to the Halloween fair this weekend and you're welcome to come with or without a date."

"Sounds fine," I said distractedly.

"Fine?" she repeated.

"Fine," I said grabbing the remote.

"Fine," she replied somewhat indignant. "You're impossible."

"I try," I said looking over and smiling cheekily. She rolled her eyes in response but smiled a little.

"We're getting takeout; you want anything?" Kyle finally spoke up again as he grabbed the keys by the door.

"No thanks I'm-"

"Fine?" he interrupted with a small laugh. "Whatever man. Whenever you're ready to talk about it."

Maxwell POV

"Nothing. Still nothing," I stated sadly as I scrolled away at the computer, Marissa and Eric sitting behind me completely silent. I'd had the brilliant idea of looking through hospital records since Faith was bound to be hospitalized but first I had to narrow down the field of search, something I was finding troublesome. We'd started by trying to figure out Faith's waking hours from Eric's tap and had narrowed time zones but though we found small clues, it always came down to pure speculation. We'd never put a ton of stock into the idea but it was all we had to go on right now we just didn't have many markers in Faith unconscious to glean from. Until she experienced anything fairly intensely we knew nothing. But from what Eric could tell she was just ill, and maybe not even enough to be in the hospital.

"Too bad we can't…" I muttered to myself.

"Can't what?" Eric surprised me by answering my self-ponderings.

"Well, let's do a little bit of supposition," I said matter-of-factly, trying to piece together my own thoughts and explain them at the same time. "Suppose this was a regular pregnancy and that she had complete survivability. What I'm supposing is that you are going to be very aware of when Faith is in labor, and you're probably going to know when she delivers. So, supposing we nail down a time zone, that whittles down our possibilities unimaginably. There's only so many babies that can be delivered at that time in those time zones. We'd easily be able to systematically eliminate the possible candidates."

"Brilliant," he sighed, "Now we can find her right after she dies."

It went silent again. I started working on an algorithm just in case.

"What if we're looking at this wrong," Marissa suddenly spoke.

"How so?" I said cautiously. "What angle could we have possibly not approached?"

"The one where we work on her survival rather than her location." I shot her a confused look, she was making no sense.

"But the two are one and the same at this point," Eric said in exasperation.

"That's where you're wrong," she shot back and suddenly turned to Eric, grabbing my arm with a smile of triumph, "Eric! I think you might still be able to save her."


	17. Chapter 17

ISFNE Chapter 17

Grams POV

Simon had been nothing but dedicated to keeping Allison comfortable. He kept track of her temperature, her eating habits, her pulse, and continued to do everything he could. She didn't improve, though she had seemingly plateaued.

"Her temperature still doesn't spike, but she continues to sweat and heave and every time I check her pulse it's faster than it should be. Nothing helps, I don't understand it at all," he said in frustration one day.

"So she's still by all indications, healthy except for her pulse and her symptoms?" I clarified.

Simon nodded distractedly. Though I couldn't explain the latter I found it interesting that Simon was oblivious to a simple explanation for the former. I kept those thoughts to myself though.

"I think I'm going to have to cancel for tomorrow."

"No, Simon, you should go. I'm perfectly capable of watching over her while you're away. In fact, I insist you go. You've been cooped in here too much," I prodded gently.

"Fine," he said uncertainly, "if you're sure…"

"I am."

Allison POV

I felt a tug as I fell asleep and immediately recognized that I was being pulled to the halfway room again, I didn't have the energy to resist truly but I dug in my heels anyways trying to get the message across. Shockingly, he stopped the moment I resisted and I stumbled while regaining my balance.

 _ **Faith, surely you understand that I could not get to you in time even if you told me. I just need to talk to you**_ , I heard him say distantly. Suddenly, I heard distant screaming and felt as though fire had been set to all of my limbs and as I woke, I slowly realized the screams were my own.

Marissa POV

Eric fell to the ground clutching his head making both Max and I jump into action to help. He waved us off as he stood slowly.

"What happened?" I asked fearfully.

"I think she went into labor," he said, crestfallen, "And I didn't connect with her."

"There's still hope, Eric, she'll drift back in, she has too."

Simon POV

The night had been going fine but I couldn't focus at all on my date, Clara. We'd been briefly introduced at the apartment and then we'd all driven over split between two cars. Clara had a four-seater but Kyle's car only held two. He and Chloe had gone together while Grant, Kate, Clara, and I went in Clara's car. Clara was nice, if a little clingy but it wouldn't have mattered if she'd been perfect in every way, my heart wasn't in it. I'd won her a cat stuffed animal already to go with her witch costume but the night was young. I hadn't had the motivation to come up with a costume and was trudging around in a sweater with pumpkins on it instead, a gag gift from Grant last year.

"Hey, Si, I'll bet I can get that last penguin before you. Kate can add it to her collection," Grant teased.

"Oh, get it, Simon, please? I love penguins!" Clara asked.

I secretly rolled my eyes but took Grant's challenge regardless.

It was a ring toss booth, I dutifully paid my two dollars for 5 rings and the competition was on. The first three bounced predictably but as I got a feel for how the rings bounced, I landed the fourth and, after bouncing off two other bottles, somehow my fifth one also landed. Two rings earned me two smaller prizes or a medium one like the penguin. I was about to choose but was interrupted by a different booth manager coming up and taking the penguin down for his customer. I looked at Clara and shrugged while Grant laughed and teased me about it being a draw since neither of us had gotten the penguin. I took a pair of stuffed bears instead. Just as they were handed to me, my phone began to ring in my back pocket. I grabbed the two bears and stuffed them under one arm as I grabbed my phone. It was Grams, and there was a voicemail from earlier.

"Hey, Grams."

"Simon, I'm sitting outside, I'm not allowed in, where are you?"

"What do you mean? Where are you?"

"At the hospital, of course! Didn't you get my voicemail?"

"No, I just saw it now, what's going on?"

"She just started screaming and writhing-"

"Wait, Allison-"

"Allison's in labor and I don't think it's going well."

I felt the blood drain out of my face. Goddamnit, I knew I shouldn't have come tonight. "What happened?" I asked desperately.

"I don't know, she's in a lot of pain, I called an ambulance."

"I'm on my way," I said, hanging up before she could say anything else. "Kyle I need your keys," I stated urgently.

"Simon, what's going on?" he asked in confusion.

"Please, I need your keys," I said again.

"Si, you're white as a sheet, are you feeling okay?" Kate asked.

"Damn it, Kyle, please, I don't have time!" I shouted desperately.

He tossed me the keys at my outburst, he'd known me long enough that if I was this set on anything it was important. I turned and took off running toward the parking lot. "Wait, I'm coming with!" Chloe said. I paid no heed, unlocking the car, throwing the bears on the passenger seat, and peeling out before she joined me.

Allison POV

I was in so much pain I felt like I could barely breathe. My children wanted out and they wanted it now. I was set up in the delivery wing and though I'd begged for Grams, there had been such a flurry of people that I'd been told about twenty times to lay down and try to relax, which was hard to do when I felt like someone was trying to rip out my insides through my back. I was attached to what felt like a million different machines and could see my heart-rate getting slower. I'd really chosen an awful and painful way to die. I felt tears come to my eyes unbidden, I didn't really want to die. I'd been talking such a big game with Eric but wasn't a life better than no life? _Forgive me, Lord,_ I prayed. I felt someone grab my hand as I faded out.

Eric POV

She walked the line of fading out completely as she drifted back into her unconscious. _**Faith, focus on me,**_ I commanded.

I felt her connect weakly _ **, I can't-**_ she started but I cut her off immediately.

 _ **No, you don't get to make excuses**_ , I said. _**I need you to do something for me.**_

 _ **I don't want to die,**_ she said, her voice so distant and weak, so full of pain and fear. I hated it, and if possible was even more resolved to bring her through this.

 _ **I'm not going to let you, love. But I need you to do something for me,**_ I said gently. _**I need you to open our connection.**_ I felt the sting of absolute mistrust through my emotional tap and cringed at it, _**Faith, I ask you for something I know I have no right to ask for, but I need you to do this.**_ You _ **need you to do this.**_ She didn't respond. I felt our connection stretch thinner and thinner before suddenly feeling her thrust open the doorway to her consciousness. That was my cue. I sent some of my own energy across and felt the connection strengthen slightly.

I gripped Marissa's hand as she gave a terse nod and sank my fangs into her neck to drink deeply before removing myself, forming a fledgling bond, strong enough that I could siphon off of Marissa's energy but weak enough that it would easily be broken after our rescue mission.

 _ **Whatever happens now, love, we're in it together.**_

Simon POV

I burst through the doors of the hospital and headed immediately to the waiting room. Grams was thankfully sitting there. I quickly ran over to her and hugged her promising I was going to get back to Allison and then went up to the desk.

"Where is Allison Freedman? I need to see her now."

"Sir, of what relation are you to Ms. Freedman?"

None, but I need to see her, please let me back there-"

"Sir, this hospital operates under 'family only' unless requested by the patient. I'm sorry but I'll let you know when she's available for visiting."

"She's going to want me back there," I said trying to stay calm and think fast, "I'm her boyfriend and I'm supposed to coach her."

The nurse looked at me and I could tell she was warring on whether to risk being wrong with my bluff. She paged a doctor to take me back.

Allison definitely wasn't doing well. I ran to grab her hand, noting the sweat on her brow, her slowing heartbeat, and her general unresponsiveness to my presence. She cried out in pain every so often as a contraction ripped through her but remained otherwise unresponsive.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked the doctor.

"We can't pinpoint anything. We're doing everything we can, but she's already in labor. We're just working toward a safe first delivery," He responded.

Suddenly, I felt Allison's grip tighten and her heart-rate spiked. She sat up and let out a scream of anguish and nearly wrenched my hand off from the strength of her grip as another, more powerful contraction came.

She collapsed, panting, sweat dripping off of her, and turned faintly to see whose hand she was holding. "Simon?" she asked in confusion, moving to pull her hand back.

I gripped it tighter, "No, keep gripping, it can help with pushing. I'm here for you," I said, tucking some stray hair behind her ear.

A nurse came over and dabbed at her forehead and changed her IV bag when Allison was again seized with a contraction.

"Simon!" she spat out, tears streaming down her face. "I can't do this! I'm going to die."

"No, you won't, Allison, because you are a fighter," I said kneeling next to her, gripping her hand tightly. "You have to fight, Alice," I pleaded.

The heart monitor didn't even seem to know what to do. Her heart-rate would fall rapidly and then spike suddenly back to normal, she seemed to drift in and out of consciousness and finally delivered the first child; a girl. I sighed and girded myself for an arduous second delivery; Alice wasn't out of the woods yet.

Eric POV

Marissa and I were valiantly trying to keep up, but Faith was draining us, fast. I suspected we wouldn't have much energy at all when done saving her life. I continued to supply her with bursts of energy as I would feel her fade pulling from my own and Marissa's power, but knew what I really needed to do though I was scared what it's repercussions might be on both Marissa and myself. I needed to give more than small bursts.

"It's going to get dicey here, I wouldn't blame you for backing out," I warned Marissa.

"I'm yours to use, Master," she said, her gaze meeting mine evenly, honoring me with my title, something she so would so often forego. Her address gave me more insight into her commitment than any words ever could. She was mine to control, and though she valued our partnership she was always willing to step into her place of duty, it was a sign of absolute trust and confidence.

I squeezed her hand and began. I carefully gathered complete conscious control over my power and energy and allowed a small siphon of Marissa's power to pour into my own and then waited for Faith. I felt her begin to fade and sent another shock of energy toward her.

 _ **Faith, find your own control over my power again. I'm opening the bond completely so you can take as necessary.**_

I garnered no response, she was in too much pain, but I suddenly felt a large draw. I figured all was safe but found out I was wrong as I felt another follow closely behind and turn into a continuous draw that scared me. It thankfully would come and go, but the long draws were scary. I was supplying all my energy to Faith and using Marissa's to keep myself sustained but I didn't know how long I could continue. It stopped quite suddenly after more than an hour on and off. I sighed in relief and was about to close off her access when suddenly a huge pull like an undertow brought almost everything I had and my consciousness itself careening across the bond. I found myself sucked dry of any energy and bombarded with a random collage of images. A blurry hospital room, a full sized bed, a busy street, and a fuzzy image of two interlocked hands, and then suddenly nothing as I was released and the connection firmly closed off again.

 _ **Faith?**_ I called out immediately, near delirium. _**Faith are you alright?**_

I was met with silence. The bond was still intact though. I deflated instantly as I flipped to reality. She'd survived. She was alive. There was still hope. I distantly heard Marissa scream as I passed out cold.

Simon POV

I massaged my hand absentmindedly as I watched the doctors scurry about to take care of Allison and the two children, who had, been spirited away for routine cleaning and preliminary tests. I had gotten up to check everything was okay with the doctor but as I sat down I once again locked my hand with Allison's, running my thumb over the top of her hand as she lay unresponsive, completely exhausted. I was able to pull aside a nurse and ask to get Grams back here.

I sat with her in silence as they tried to get Allison conscious again. After the longest hours of my life, she slowly woke, disoriented and weak but demanding to see her children. The nurses brought in the two babies and placed them in Allison's arms, both surprisingly content and quiet. She shifted slightly to accommodate them and smiled at the little boy and girl in her arms. "Come see," she said to Grams and me. We both carefully stood as I went around to the other side of the bed. It was silent except for some small noises from the babies and the beeping of the heart monitor beside us.

"Do they have names?" I finally asked.

A faint smile played across her face, "Yes." She held out the girl to Grams who accepted her easily shifting her comfortably in her arms. She them turned to me and I knew she expected me to hold the boy.

"I couldn't," I started but she merely smiled and shook her head.

"Come on, I want you to," she said, her voice still small and weak. I acquiesced and carefully picked up the boy, sitting in a chair next to the bed.

Alice looked at us both holding the twins and smiled like she had the best secret in the world. "Grams and Simon, meet Eleanor Joy and Solomon James."

I saw Grams' face light up with shock and her eyes filled with tears as she looked from the girl to Alice and back to her namesake. "Allison, I… She's so beautiful, I'm so honored," she said leaning forward to kiss Allison on the forehead.

I was looking at the boy in my arms, stunned at the gift Allison had given Grams.

"You know she's going to be absolute handful, she's destined to be troublesome as I was in my childhood," Grams said with a watery smile, making Allison grin too. She then turned to look at me, "Well?" she asked somewhat nervously.

I looked down at the boy, Solomon, in awe. "They're both beautiful, Alice," I said with a smile. She seemed relieved before suddenly letting out a large yawn.

"We'll let you sleep now, dear," Grams said gently, "You've had a trying day, and a lot of recovering to do."

I stood and gently shifted Solomon in my arms as we put the two back down to bond with their mother, briefly seeing two soft blue eyes peek out before closing in slumber again. The children seemed as exhausted as the mother. As I turned to leave, Alice weakly reached out, grabbing my arm.

"Simon."

I, of course, stopped immediately something about the action catching me completely off-guard. "Thank you for staying with me," she continued, "I-I was really scared and I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" I repeated in surprise, sitting back down and taking her hand between both of mine, "You have nothing to be sorry about. That was probably the bravest thing I've ever seen."

"Brave? How can it be brave when I wanted to give up halfway through? If I was ready to give in and die?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"It was brave because you continued despite all of that. Because you didn't give up."

A few tears escaped, trailing down her face, "Thank you," she mouthed with a sniffle. I sat with her in silence for a few moments as she composed herself and then, before she could say anything or draw away, I kissed the back of her hand quickly and stood up, "Sleep well," I said before walking out realizing as I left what had been so singular about the interaction; it was the first time she'd initiated contact with me.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

It was nearing three thirty in the morning when I finally got back to the apartment. I parked Kyle's car, climbed the stairs, and unlocked the door with the utmost care to make no noise but the moment the door swung open I found it was all for naught. Kate sat at the dining table, which was right across from the door, reading a book and immediately looked up as I entered.

"Kate, please," I whispered pleadingly, "I know what you're about to-"

"Guys, he's back!" she yelled out, paying my requests no heed.

"Damn it, Kate, we're gonna get complaints for the noise!" I hissed. She disregarded me completely as she was immediately joined by Kyle, Chloe, and Grant all of whom were looking less than pleased with me. There were a few beats of awkward silence.

"Um, hi guys?" I asked.

"What the hell, man?" Kyle finally said.

"Guys I'm sorry, I just-"

"Explanation. Now." Chloe said in her tone we would have usually given her grief for, saying things like 'okay, fine, mom'. No one seemed remotely in the mood.

"Come on, Si," Kate prompted, "We deserve an explanation seeing as you left five of us to ride back in a four-person car. Thanks to you I had to ride in the trunk since I'm the smallest of us and now I think I'm going to have nightmares about being kidnapped that way so you better have a damn good reason why you went careening off with Kyle's car, ditching your date and leaving your friends with not even a word of what was going on," she got out before finally taking a deep breath.

"Guys-" I tried before being bombarded with questions.

"Why'd you take off like that?" "Was Clara really that bad?" "Who's Allison?" "Is it Grams?" "Is she okay?" "Are you okay?" "Is this some sort of crisis?" "Why were you gone so long?" "WHO IS ALLISON?" "Where did you go?" "Why are you just now getting back?"

"GUYS!" I yelled throwing my hands up in defeat as I walked away and sank into one of the chairs in the living room. "Do we have to do this right now?" I asked more quietly.

"YES!" They all answered in unison.

"Fine," I said in resignation, "this is possibly going to take a while, you guys should get comfortable…"


	18. Chapter 18

ISFNE Chapter 18

A/N: Hello again friends! Don't worry I am working ahead quite a ways and as soon as I work out some further important story developments I will have more chapters coming your way :) Hope you guys are enjoying this, again I promise that this weird side road that the story is taking HAS A VERY IMPORTANT REASON so I hope you stick around long enough for that to come around. I love you guys! (pssst, reviews make my day. I crave feedback!) Okay enjoy!

...

Simon POV

"So let me get this straight," Chloe said leaning forward on her knees and clasping her hands together. "The story you're going with is that there's a girl who's been working at the bookstore and living with Grams, who you have so _conveniently_ never mentioned, who also happens to be pregnant, and she went into labor and had twins last night almost dying in the process," she finished.

I merely nodded.

"THAT'S the best you can come up with?" Kyle asked in disbelief.

"You think I could make this sort of thing up?" I retorted.

"It's completely implausible, Si!" Chloe interjected.

"How? How is it flawed, I would so love to know," I said baiting her as I paced around the room, completely tired of the entire subject and only wanting to go to bed at this point.

Chloe was taking it, "You can't hide a person in your life from your best friends for MONTHS like that. Besides we always come by the bookstore and we have dinners at Grams' and-"

"She's not 'in my life' Chloe, she's just living at the bookstore. And how long has it been since we had dinner at the bookstore?" I interrupted. "Let me answer that for you, months. I cancelled the last one and haven't brought up any suggestion of it, and you guys forgot. When did you last come by the bookstore? Last week? She was sick, she stayed upstairs the entire day. Before that? Right around closing time and we went for drinks afterwards. She only worked until around two or three in the afternoon, you wouldn't have seen her. Anything else you'd like to suggest?" I asked, truly starting to become irritated.

It was silent.

"Why'd you do it?" Grant finally piped up.

"Look, I apologized, but I had to be there, she wasn't doing well, she…she almost died, and I was just scared to death and I had to go, I'm sorry I didn't explain, I'm sorry I ditched, I will apologize to Clara-" I began listing.

"No, why didn't you tell us from the get-go?" He asked pointedly.

I sat in silence, trying to process, "I don't really know. At first, it was just going to be a funny story that I'd tell you guys later, but then it became more permanent and then it became kind of personal and she's been through a lot and, no slight to you guys, you're a lot to handle. I don't want to overwhelm her, especially with how things are right now. And then it just persisted because I didn't want to be faced with this situation right here."

"What's wrong with this situation? We're just curious," Kate stated.

I snorted, "Yeah, and so was the Spanish Inquisition."

Chloe rolled her eyes, "Simon, that's completely unfair. Now you're going to tell us what's so damn special about this girl."

"What? Nothing! I never said she was special," I said defensively.

"Yeah, okay, I also ditch a perfectly fine date to check on a fellow employee, come on, Simon, we're not stupid," Kate said with a strong dose of sarcasm.

"What are you guys talking about?" I was completely baffled by their behavior.

"Really? You're going to make us do this?" Kyle asked.

"Do what? I don't know what you guys are getting at."

"Keeping a secret from your four best friends about a girl, who you're very obstinate about giving details on, that you leave the middle of a perfectly good blind date for, and that you've been moody and bothered about for weeks." Chloe listed off dutifully.

I stared at her blankly.

"You're in love with her, you fool!" she exclaimed with aggravation.

"No, I'm not!" I immediately denied, they all just gave me a knowing look, "no, it's not like that!"

"Uh, huh," Kyle said with a smile, unconvinced. "Honestly answer the next three questions."

"Fine, hit me with it," I challenged him.

"Do you have an inside joke, or something you tease her about?"

The 'name game' immediately came to mind. "Yes," I answered begrudgingly.

"Does she do anything that drives you absolutely insane?"

I thought of how she would refuse to call me by name, how she sometimes looked at me with fear in her eyes for no discernable reason, how she pulled away from even the most innocuous contact. "So many things," I answered.

"Do you hate her for them?"

That one caught me by surprise. Did I hate her for these things? My first instinct was a resounding yes. I hated that she'd refuse to use my name, I hated when she gave me that haunting look full of fear that I didn't deserve, I hated that she wouldn't let me reach out to her in even the simplest ways. But did it make me hate her? "No," I said softly, suddenly realizing I'd said it aloud.

Grant shook his head with a smile, "Boy you got it baaaaad," he teased.

Kate suddenly yawned loudly, shattering the moment and reminding us all of the time. "Guys," she whined, "I'm going to bed, and I'm staying over cuz there's no way I'm going home at 4:15 am."

They all responded similarly, but Chloe needed the last word, "Okay, but this isn't done, Simon. We're getting all the deets asap."

Allison POV

I woke up disoriented and confused in the hospital. I slowly put together everything that had happened up that point and found my memory of the entire delivery extremely fuzzy. All I knew is that Simon had shown up when I needed support and Eric had not betrayed me in my hour of need, in fact, he was the only reason I was alive. I pondered that a bit further. I'd completely opened the bond to him and he'd made no move to take advantage of it, something I would never have thought him capable of. What was his play? Why wouldn't he have done anything? Or maybe he had and I just didn't know it?

"Ah! You're awake, so glad to see so," a nurse said, coming through on rounds, interrupting my thought spiral. "Your babies are hungry if you're up for it," she said gently.

"Oh, yes please, I want to see them," I said with a smile. "Where are they?"

"They were put in the nursery since you were in such bad shape, you're recovering very well though so far," she said with a smile, "I'll get them brought in here for the remainder of your stay."

"Thank you."

"Oh, also, your boyfriend, was just in a few hours ago checking in on you, he told me to call when you woke up and I said I'd have to ask you. Do you want to see him at all?"

My what? I decided to not to flip, giving her a second chance, maybe she had the wrong person. "My boyfriend…was here?" I tried to state the whole sentence as a question but it came out with the question clearly being on the word "boyfriend". She frowned slightly, "yes, are you feeling okay? How much do you remember?"

I shook my head and laughed, "I'm sorry, you know what? I totally blanked there. Of course, please, call him," I said trying to play off my questioning as a stupid mistake and getting the feeling my performance wouldn't be nominated for an Oscar anytime soon.

The nurse just gave me a slightly strange look and left to get the twins while I sat somewhat worried about the newest development. Boyfriend? It would have been stupid to ask for a name, I knew who it had to be, Simon was the only male I'd truly even come into contact with since escaping. Of course, there was always the chance it wasn't Simon which only left me with one other option: Eric. He couldn't have found me though, right? He hadn't done anything while I'd connected with him to locate me, it couldn't be him. I quickly rationalized it away with the final comfort being that if indeed it were Eric, he wouldn't have settled for the title boyfriend. He would have gone for husband or at least fiancé. I calmed down considerably at this revelation but still felt on edge. Had they merely assumed Simon was my boyfriend? Had it been intentional on his part? If so that was a whole new can of anxiety to open. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I wasn't going to waste anymore time worrying about it. Simon would be here soon to explain himself I was sure.

Eric POV

"You can't give me anything better than a general two-hour span?" Maxwell said crossly with obvious disbelief.

I rubbed my temples and growled under my breath as I lay in the office, "I didn't very well have much control in the whole situation. I let her draw when she needed to and since it happened so sporadically and so forcefully each time I couldn't very well tell when she actually had the child."

Maxwell looked very put out but also piped down, remembering who he was speaking to, "You can't narrow it a little more than that? Please say you can."

"Why, Max? What's wrong?" Marissa butted in. "He's obviously, trying here, he did kind of pass out as well if you hadn't noticed," she added sharply.

Maxwell frowned with a bit of annoyance and turned back to his computer, "Well doing the rough math there's almost 11,000 babies born daily in the US which means roughly four hundred and fifty every hour, not taking into account what birthdays are more popular. So by giving me a vague two hours-"

"I've may have handed you upwards of nine hundred cases to sift through," I said with grim understanding, "fucking hell," I muttered, rubbing my temples.

"I'll say," Maxwell responded. "Come on, give me something to whittle this down. Was it during her normal waking hours?"

I sighed heavily, "I have no idea it's been so long since she slept normally. What did we have down before? I'll compare it and try to get something more concrete. Right now, I really need to go hunting," I said, slowly standing up, "Care to join, Marissa?"

"I'm okay for now," she said with a weak smile, "I'll go later."

"You're a hero, Marissa. You truly saved her. I won't be forgetting that anytime soon," I said solemnly.

"I won't let you don't worry," she assured me with a confiding wink, back to her sassy self now that she knew I was okay.

I rolled my eyes and changed into my bat form, leaving to go hunting.

Simon POV

I got up somewhat early the next morning hoping to avoid my roommates and sneak out of the apartment. Luck was on my side this time as I quickly grabbed a granola bar and dashed out before the others heard. If my luck held out, they might not be up until noon to notice my disappearance. I was going to disappear for a little longer than the day though, I'd stay the night at the bookstore to avoid a repeat of the Inquisition tonight. If they were going to stay up waiting for me, they'd be up a long time. I'd take it as a small retaliation for what they'd done last night.

As I drove to the hospital I couldn't help but continue to mull over last night's revelations. Had I really fallen for Allison? There were so many things I had to excuse it. I rationalized it away easily, it was just concern, any person would be concerned. This wasn't anything special. I would have done it for anyone really. Besides, she didn't trust me any further than she could throw me. No, I couldn't be falling for Allison, it was a bad idea all around.

I quickly checked with the desk to see how she was doing. She was still sleeping but they would see about calling when she woke up. I left my number and left to get food.

I got a call almost two hours later. I'd gone to get food but had let myself sidetrack into other errands I needed to run. The moment I found out she was awake though, I left for the hospital. I had to see how she was recovering. I went to her room with a quick pointer from the front desk and entered to find her sitting with the twins in her arms and adjusting her hospital gown obviously having just finished feeding them.

"Simon," she said with a small smile, and a blush at what I'd almost walked in on, "could you help me out for a moment?" she asked tentatively.

"I'm at your service, Tessa," I said, trying to put her at ease with my usual teasing.

She shook her head ever so slightly with the same small smile and waved me over, "I need an extra set of hands, they need to be burped."

"I really should have brought Grams over, I don't know anything about babies," I said with a little bit of doubt.

"And you think just because I have two I'm suddenly a leading expert?" she quipped back, "Just pat and rub their back and make sure you have a cloth over your shoulder if they spit up at all," she said, picking up Solomon, who'd begun to fuss and cry.

I carefully picked up Eleanor who was taking the cue from her brother and grabbed a cloth from Allison's bedside to throw over my shoulder as I sat down in the chair next to the bed.

We sat in silence for a while, save a few cries from the twins, until I finally spoke up. "So do you know when you'll be coming back?"

"The doctor seems to think I'll be okay to go back tomorrow as long as I lay low for a while. I was going to call Grams about it but now that you're here I'm sure you can pass the message along." She said and then smiled broadly at Solomon as he finally burped. "Well weren't you just a hungry little mister," she cooed as she wiped at his mouth.

Eleanor quickly followed suit and I carefully laid her down in my lap. I looked her over carefully trying to guess what traits of Allison's would show up in her. For now, her eyes were a bright blue and the small amount of hair she had was dark. Solomon was the same though his eyes were a darker blue that hinted at become very much like his mother's eyes. As I continued to study Eleanor I wondered at what traits I wouldn't recognize from her father. I was surprised when her little hand suddenly closed around one of my fingers as she looked blankly up at me.

"Aw she likes you," Allison said in the background.

I looked up at her with a small smile. "I like her too, she's beautiful, Alice. I think she's going to have your hair," I said.

She hummed an agreement and carefully sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Solomon still cradled in her arms. Her feet and legs were completely bare and she seemed to still only be clothed in a hospital gown. I picked up Eleanor and went to sit next to her on the bed, pretending not to notice the way Allison discreetly shifted further away from me. "So, if everything checks out I guess I'll be back to pick you and the twins up. Grams already got the cribs and the nursery all set up for you."

"Okay," she said quietly, she was giving me a bit of a strange look, as if waiting for me to bring something up.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

She looked slightly startled and then flushed, "N-no, nothing, sorry," she said, suddenly sounding flustered.

"That's very convincing," I said sarcastically.

"Well! I just-" she stuttered and then stopped short, "never mind," she said, her face still red.

"Hey, no, you can't do that, Diane, I have to know now," I said with a grin.

"Ugh, no, never mind it's too embarrassing," she said, immediately focusing all her attention on Solomon.

I looked down at little Eleanor in my arms, "Your mother is very frustrating, you know that? Of course you don't, you're two days old, but I'm sure you'll be frustrating enough to get back at her for me," I said, continuing to tease Allison indirectly. "She knows she can ask or tell me anything," I said finally looking up at Alice. The last part had become much more serious than I'd first intended but it was true. I was going to continue offering the olive branch and reminding her it was there for the taking.

She rolled her eyes at me slightly, "You're impossible sometimes, you know that?"

I grinned back at her teasingly and got up to put Eleanor in one of the bassinets on the other side of the bed. As I turned back around I saw her about to attempt the same with Solomon, something I quickly stopped.

"Woah, no, stay down for now," I started.

"I just want to stand up," she said, warily, continuing to rise.

I reacted quickly to gently, but firmly, push her back against the tilted bed, knowing she would likely faint if she got to her feet. "You're staying right here," I said somewhat sternly, my hands still holding onto her shoulders as her eyes locked with mine, "You shouldn't exert yourself."

I expected a bit of backlash or petty complaining but instead saw a wave of absolute fear wash over Allison's features. She visibly paled and I even detected a small tremor running through her. It was concerning to say the least. "Allison are you okay?"

"Please, let me go," she barely whispered, clutching Solomon to her chest, her gaze not leaving mine, but looking at me in a way that made me question if it was really me she was seeing. I carefully let go of her and moved to take Solomon to the bassinet but the moment I got close she flinched away. Something was very wrong.

"Alice, are you alright? What's wrong? Where did you go?" I asked carefully.

Allison POV

I completely shut down as the déjà vu played out like a living nightmare. Suddenly, Simon and Eric had merged, saying and doing uncannily similar things. Thankfully, he'd let go of me at my request, something that I hadn't gotten last time, but I was still wary as he reached for Solomon and I knew I flinched away. The lines of reality were suddenly so blurred I felt I couldn't trust what I was seeing, and though I was seeing Simon in the physical sense, I was suddenly seeing Eric superimposed over him and I couldn't shake it. But the moment the name 'Alice' came from Simon, I was startled from the strange twilight zone I'd entered. My vision cleared and I saw Simon standing before me, offering to carry Solomon over to the bassinet. Caring and kind Simon who was most definitely not Eric, and who I'd probably confused immensely with my show of utter distrust.

"Simon?" I questioned carefully.

"Yes?" he answered, a concerned frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," I said weakly, holding out Solomon to him.

"Intrusion most likely," he said, the frown still present as he accepted Solomon and walked to put him in the other bassinet.

"What?"

"Intrusion," he said, coming back to sit on the edge of the bed. "It's a symptom of PTSD. You have distressed reactions to things resembling traumatic events. I'm sorry to have set it into motion," he said carefully folding his hands over mine. "What part was it?"

I withdrew my hand carefully and drew a deep breath, "I-I'm not sure, it was probably just a bad case of déjà vu. I'm fine really."

"You're not fine, Allison," he stated calmly. "And you only prove it every moment you spend with me."

The nurse came back in at this point and saw the two of us, "So glad to see you with visitors, you've truly made an incredible recovery," she said. "I'll have the doctor come by to double check that you're all good to be discharged tomorrow. And these two," she said coming over the bassinets to look at the twins, "Have just been little angels," she said fondly, "You two are very lucky," she finished with a smile.

I involuntarily made a strange strangled noise in the back of my throat at that comment but managed to force a smile, though I could feel my face flushing. I carefully stole a peek at Simon and was amazed to see his face almost a perfect match to mine.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Hi, yes, new chapters huzzah.

ISFNE Chapter 19

Eric POV

I stalked through the town silently looking for an unsuspecting candidate to sustain me for now. I, unfortunately, would have to be somewhat selective, choosing someone would could take losing a little more blood than normal as I was completely drained and therefore famished. But though I had a pressing need for blood, my mind was still only consumed with Faith and my child. Our child, I quickly corrected myself. I wondered about them, worried Faith would have trouble after waking and that she'd be overwhelmed with the extra strain of a child. But as I thought into the future, I knew that the child had a lot of potential in helping locate Faith. With the child she'd be more rooted, especially as time progressed if this search took years. She'd settle down, and settling down made eliminating possibilities easier.

I let the train of thought go, knowing that as soon as I was revitalized with fresh blood I could try to contact Faith, and maybe get some more hints for Maxwell. And then I saw my victim. A young woman was just getting out of her parked car, obviously about to walk toward her apartment. She looked as though she'd had a very…passionate night. All the sweeter her blood would be, all the easier my marks could be written off. Perfect.

Simon POV

As I drove back to the bookstore I replayed everything that had been revealed in the past hours. I had feelings for Allison beyond mere friendship. I hated when my friends knew me better than I knew myself, they'd called me out on what I'd been blind to this whole time. As I thought further though, I knew why my feeling were being so repressed. There were so many logical obstacles that I couldn't write off…or wouldn't. I was armed with my excuses to keep my friends from pushing that front, hopefully it would be enough. I'd been too frank with Allison before I'd left though, I wasn't ready for that sort of confrontation, it would give too much away. No, I'd keep my feelings repressed, it would be better for both of us in the long run.

Allison POV

After evaluation, I was told I could be discharged in the afternoon, just to make sure I was truly on the way to recovery. Eleanor was able to come by with the promise that Simon would be back to pick us up and the gift of a bag of clothes which I was finally allowed to put on with supervision and a little help out of and onto the bed. Of course, many of them were quite loose on my no-longer-pregnant torso, though I did still have some tummy to lose. I slipped on a blue sweater and yoga pants as well as a new set of color contacts, starting to feel a little more like myself again. I had the twins brought closer to my bed and was cooing over them when I was interrupted.

"Ms. Freedman, there's a Chloe Liang and Kyle Purnell to see you," a nurse said coming in, two people following behind.

I opened my mouth to deny knowing these people but the girl behind the nurse gave a smile, shook her head slightly, and mouthed the word 'please' to me. I was confused but figured I had the call button on my bed if I needed someone to chase them off.

The girl was tall and thin with almond eyes and black hair had previously been blonde as it got progressively lighter to a light honey color at her shoulders. Somehow she made it look natural. She was in a pair of high-waisted jeans and a white, blousy cami under a long green sweater with navy blue stripes. The guy with her was about the same height as her with blonde hair, shaved on the sides and longer on top and wore tan pants with a maroon plaid shirt. I'd never seen them before in my life, I was sure of it, which, of course, made me extremely wary. The thought suddenly struck me that they could be more of Eric's lackeys; maybe I should have sent them away to begin with.

"Well, you're not exactly what I expected," the girl said sitting down in one of the chairs by the bed, the guy followed suit, taking the other chair.

"Am I supposed to know who you are?" I asked carefully, not wanting to offend but also desperately confused.

The guy laughed and playfully nudged at the girl with his shoulder, "I'm sorry, my girlfriend her has no filter. I'm Kyle, this is Chloe.

The girl, Chloe, rolled her eyes at him but turned back to me with a smile, "It's Allison, right?" she asked.

I barely nodded, feeling slightly relieved that they weren't looking for Faith but still wary of their intentions.

"We're sorry to drop in at random like this," she apologized, "Kyle here is one of Simon's roommates and, well, we were just getting curious as to who Simon was hiding from us, so we took matters into our own hands."

"Correction, Chloe took matters into her hands," Kyle piped up.

"Oh, don't act like you weren't curious," she snipped back playfully.

"Wait what? I'm not – I mean – I don't –" I struggled for words trying to grasp the situation.

"Simon's just been very…'off' lately for lack of better word," Kyle supplied, "and, well, he left in the middle of a blind date the other night at random because he got a phone call from Grams, he was really upset, and he said your name at one point during the conversation. So we had to practically pry your name out of him to find out who the heck you were, he'd never mentioned that someone else was living at the bookstore."

"Plus we wanted to see if his story really did check out," Chloe added. "Amazingly, it does. He didn't come back to the apartment last night for another round of questioning so we had to make do."

Okay, definitely Simon's friends. They knew Grams and the bookstore, but the whole thing surprised me immensely. Simon had hidden my existence from what seemed like his close friends?

"Aww they're so cute!" Chloe suddenly exclaimed, catching sight of the twins for the first time and wandering over to the other side of the bed to get a better look, Kyle following behind her. "What are their names?"

"Eleanor and Solomon," I answered with pride. Chloe looked over at me tenderly, "You named her after Grams? That is so sweet," she said quietly.

I nodded, "Thank you, the Timmons' saved my life, it was the least I could do."

"Now, THAT sounds like a story," she said with a smile, "I'll torment Simon with it though, it'll be much more fun."

Kyle rolled his eyes at her, "I'm sorry about all of this, Allison, we can definitely leave if you like."

I found myself surprisingly shaking my head, "If you want I won't keep you, but I've been hurting for company, if you're willing to stay. Besides, I'd love to have some dirt on Simon, which I'm sure you can provide," I said with a grin.

"Oh, I like her already," Chloe snickered.

Simon POV

I came by the hospital about an hour after Grams to take Alice and the twins back. Everything was set up at the bookstore for the new arrivals. I walked by the desk and toward Alice's room only to stop dead in my tracks at the doorway. This was not happening. I thought to turn and leave but I'd already caught Alice's attention as she waved me in. Oh my god, this was a nightmare. How had Chloe and Kyle even found her? And how dare they go behind my back and hit it off with her? I walked in slowly, hoping and praying I would wake up.

"Oh! Simon, I'm so sorry, I completely lost track of the time, I just need to get a few things together and I'll be good to go," Allison said as I entered.

"That's fine," I said, not looking at her, my eyes locked in on my former friends, with a look that told I was going to be civil for all of the next two minutes, "Kyle, Chloe, and I will be out in the waiting room, right guys?" I said amiably. The look I was giving them, on the other hand, said something more like 'I'm possibly going to murder you both in the hallway.'

Chloe just smiled almost smugly at me and then turned back, "It was so wonderful to finally meet you, Allison, here's to a speedy recovery."

Kyle waved as they both followed me out of the room. Finally out of Alice's earshot, I turned and glared. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"Just making new friends," Kyle said with an even smile. "We approve greatly by the way," he added with a wink.

"I don't know what you two think you're doing but you need to stop right now. You're already way too deep."

"Simon, we're doing nothing wrong. We're trying to help," Chloe said gently.

"In what way could you ever define this as being helpful? You're making a mess of everything." I said acridly.

"Hey, we haven't done anything out of line here," Kyle quickly defended, "You're the one who lied to your friends for months."

"Not to mention that you've failed to tell us how in love you are with the girl," Chloe added.

"I am not!" I spat out defensively.

"I'm going to let that slide seeing as we're friends, Simon, but we're talking this through back at the apartment tonight. If you don't show, we all come over and talk it through at the bookstore with Allison present." Kyle said with a smirk that told me he knew he'd won.

I glared at them both, "You're both dead to me."

"We love you too, Simon!" Chloe teased as they walked out, "See you tonight," she called back.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The ride to the bookstore with Allison and the twins was awkward and silent, neither of us seeming to have the ability to bring up anything from the past days. The questions were gnawing at me unbearably though. I had to know what they'd talked about. We arrived and unloaded, each of us grabbing one of the twins and, after being greeted by Grams, went to settle them into their cribs, where I'd placed the two teddy bears from the carnival already. As we put them down I finally gave in.

"So, what did you think of Chloe and Kyle?" I asked lightly, "I'm sorry they came by uninvited, they are…somewhat nosey."

She turned her head to meet my eyes briefly and stood up from her hunched position over the crib, "They were really nice," she said softly, looking back down at the twins, "I haven't met anyone new for ages."

She was acting strange, it only made me worry more about what they could have possibly told her. "What did you guys talk about?" I continued, trying to sound nonchalant.

"You mostly," she said, "I mean, you were kind of the common denominator so we started there at least. They told me how you and Kyle met, it spiraled into how Kyle and Chloe met. We didn't really talk that long before you showed up."

I seemed pretty safe by her description. Still, I worried about the trial I was awaiting back at the apartment. I glanced at Allison, she seemed upset, though she was obviously struggling not to look it. I decided not to ask for her sake.

I looked down at Eleanor and Solomon with a smile. "They need nicknames," I said changing the subject.

Alice seemed slightly thrown by the change but smiled, "Well, you're the expert there," she teased.

I'd missed Allison's teasing; it was such a rare thing that I appreciated it all the more when it did happen. "I'll work on it," I said with a chuckle putting my hand on her shoulder briefly as I turned to leave, I felt her tense and then slowly force herself to relax. Every time, no matter how amicable we got, it continued to happen. I'd thought it'd be different after her initiating at the hospital. I carefully removed my hand, "You should try to get some sleep now, you don't know when they're going to want you up," I said gently.

"Okay," she said, her voice still tense.

I left her, feeling conflicted. She was obviously trying to hide whatever was bugging her, I didn't know whether to ask or not. And she was still being so jumpy at any contact. I walked down the stairs, my mind consumed with these thoughts and the thought of going back to the apartment for another round of questioning. Why was all of this so difficult?

Allison POV

I left the hospital, Solomon in my arms, Eleanor in Simon's, as we were helped to the car. Simon helped load us up and we were ready to head home. I was settled in for a peaceful ride back, or peaceful as it could get with newborn twins in the car.

I suddenly felt a pull that almost took me down with it though I managed to keep my bearing, quickly realizing Eric was trying to bring me to the halfway room.

I felt him heave a tired sigh as I dug in my heels, determined to be left alone as long as possible. I still didn't know how I felt about our past few interactions. They'd all been so disjointed that I had no idea where we stood, and I was not eager to find out. He thankfully didn't push it, though I was sure I'd see him soon enough.

Grams greeted me and the twins warmly as Simon helped me settle them into the office turned nursery.

"So, what did you think of Chloe and Kyle?" Simon asked suddenly, "I'm sorry they came by uninvited, they are…somewhat nosey."

I turned to meet his eyes briefly and stood up from putting Solomon down, "They were really nice," I said, focusing on the twins instead of Simon, "I haven't met anyone new for ages."

"What did you guys talk about?"

He seemed intent on a specific answer, though what I had no clue, "You mostly," I said truthfully, "I mean, you were kind of the common denominator so we started there at least. They told me how you and Kyle met, it spiraled into how Kyle and Chloe met. We didn't really talk that long before you showed up."

 _Are you angry? Why did you hide my existence from your closest friends? Are you ashamed to associate with me?_ All these questions bounced around in my mind, threatening to spill out. But I knew the answers.

I knew what I was in his eyes and all of society's. I was an outcast. A careless teenager too dumb to avoid pregnancy. I was a dirty secret. The person who people wouldn't quite look in the eye, or take seriously. The girl who would be written off and judged at every turn. I might as well sew a huge red "A" on my clothing now. I scoffed, no it wouldn't be an "A" it'd have to be an "S" or a "W" or another unsavory term. It didn't matter how, or why, or who I was before; all that mattered was that there were two bundles laying in their cribs in front of me, and they were mine. But somehow, I'd thought Simon didn't see me that way lately. He'd befriended me, he'd helped me, and he'd forced me to confront some of my problems head-on. But in the end, I'd just learned the inevitable, something I'd known would plague my every step the rest of my life. _How dare you be disappointed,_ I berated myself. _You knew this would happen. Goddamn it, Faith, jaded and untrusting as you are, you somehow still manage to invest too much. You continually set yourself up for heartache you absolute fool_. I felt like crying. That would be absurd though, I wasn't going to cry. I didn't care. I did NOT care.

"They need nicknames," Simon said out of the blue, startling me from my spiraling thoughts.

I put on my most convincing smile, "Well, you're the expert there," I teased, hoping to cover any hint of my inner turmoil.

He laughed, "I'll work on it," he said, suddenly putting a hand on my shoulder as he turned. I tensed reflexively at the contact, but quickly tried to force myself to relax, I wasn't about to have another episode with Simon here. He could obviously feel my reaction. "You should try to get some sleep now, you don't know when they're going to want you up," he said, slowly removing his hand.

"Okay," I responded, not turning to face him, my voice still tight with suppressed emotion, scared that I might break down any moment.

And then, I was left truly alone for the first time in what felt like forever.

 _ **Now what was that**_ , I heard suddenly. Eric had apparently been somewhat attentive during the exchange, and I hadn't been very vigilant about keeping the connection completely closed.

 _ **I'll see you soon enough, have you no patience**_ , I practically hissed back.

 _ **So you're not going to continue avoiding me?**_ He said in what sounded like genuine surprise.

 _ **Are you going to continue to be the incarnation of my every nightmare?**_ I shot back.

He didn't respond for a long time; I gave myself props for taking him down a peg. It seemed to be the best I could do anymore.

 _ **Hopefully not forever**_. He finally answered. _**Please sleep, Faith**_.

I didn't deign to respond but instead picked up Eleanor as she began to cry, carefully trying to rock her back to sleep. This soothed my nerves as well, giving me something else to focus on. She refused to be cajoled with mere shushing, so I sat and gently began to sing,

 _My life flows on in endless song,_

 _Above earth's lamentations,_

 _I hear the real though far off song,_

 _That hails a new creation._

 _No storm can shake my inmost calm,_

 _While to that Rock I'm clinging,_

 _It sounds an echo in my soul,_

 _How can I keep from singing?_

Eleanor finally fell silent and I gently put her back down in the crib and crept away to my room across the hall. I sat back against the headboard and tried to sort everything that had happened both in reality, and in my immaterial rendezvouses with Eric. What kind of mood I would find him in this time I had no clue; he seemed as unpredictable as ever. I'd have to be well anchored in case of the need to escape again. I knew that a meeting was inevitable now.


	20. Chapter 20

ISFNE Chapter 20

Grams POV

Simon came downstairs after helping Allison and the twins settle in, he looked troubled as he sat down at the kitchen table where I was quick to join him.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, bringing over a mug of decaf coffee for Simon, which he gratefully accepted, wrapping his hands around the mug as he sat back in the chair with a frown.

"Depends on what you're asking about. The twins are fine, everything is settled in nicely. Allison seems to have something on her mind but she quite obviously doesn't want to share. And I," he paused, taking a long sip of coffee, "Am about to face the Spanish Inquisition back at the apartment."

I smiled at the last part, "What has warranted this inquisition?"

"I may have neglected to mention Allison to the group, so now I have a lot of explaining to do according to them," he said, rolling his eyes at the last part and took another sip from the mug.

There was a long silence as I tried to find the right way to go about enlightening Simon. "That seems like quite the oversight," I said, trying not to imply anything.

"Yes, well, it was complicated. It is complicated," he said standing up and pouring out what little remained of his coffee before putting the mug in the dishwasher. "Anyways, I should go soon or else they threatened to come here."

I was about to respond but in the moment of silence we suddenly heard a beautiful melody floating down from upstairs. It was faint, but heard throughout the small apartment. Allison was singing, and beautifully at that. I peeked over at Simon who had paused in the middle of grabbing his coat, his back to me.

"I didn't know we'd brought in a nightingale as well. Are you going to have to explain that to the group as well?" I teased.

He finished taking down his coat, rolled his eyes playfully and walked over to kiss me on the cheek, "Goodnight, Grams. See you later."

Eric POV

I waited impatiently for my bride to fall asleep, from what I could figure she was probably catering to our child, which meant our meeting could run very short based on when said child decided to wake up again. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I wondered what kind of mood I would find Faith in. She wasn't keen on our impending meeting, yet she wasn't going to avoid it, even when it was evident she didn't want to talk about whatever had transpired earlier. In all honesty, I knew I only wanted to see her alive. I still barely believed it to be true. I needed to see her. I needed to figure out what my next move was.

I paced back and forth, waiting for the telltale tug that told me she was dreaming. Suddenly, I felt it. I grabbed it and followed all the way to the halfway room, pulling Faith to me as well as she surprisingly put up no resistance.

And then she was standing in front of me. Still covered by her projection, but so beautiful.

"Eric, you might as well tell me right now wh- uffh!" she stopped mid-sentence as I enveloped her in my arms, pulling her as close as I could. I buried my head in her hair, then let my hand follow to smooth it down and tuck her head into my chest feeling a wave of relief crash over me that I hadn't even known I was still repressing. Tears pricked at my eyes and my breathing hitched slightly as I took it all in. Of course, in this midst of this, I also felt Faith go rigid in fear and could feel her breathing accelerate as I held her close, her arms trapped in position to try and push me off. I was amazed though to feel her slowly and ever so tentatively relax as I continued to hold her.

For a small perfect moment, she merely allowed me to hold her before she carefully tried to extract herself from my embrace. I let one hand move to her waist to allow her some distance while my other hand traveled down her face to cup her chin as I kissed her forehead, then her cheek, and then finally gave her a peck on her lips, drawing back with tears in my eyes and an elated smile that I could not contain.

"You're alive," I whispered, looking into her violet eyes, still full of trepidation at my actions and saw it melt away momentarily into pure surprise.

"I am," she responded carefully.

I smoothed back a piece of her hair and left my hand on her cheek, "I thought I'd lost you, my love," I said quietly, pain filling me again at the thought.

Her hand came up to my wrist to bring it away from her face as she took a step away, breaking all contact and looking completely lost. She said nothing but took another step away and sat on the edge of the sofa, eyeing me like a cornered animal.

"Just because you didn't lose me doesn't mean you've gained me," she said steadily.

"I don't care. Today I am content knowing somewhere in the world you and my child are still alive," I responded, still unable to contain my smile.

Allison POV

What was going on? I'd shown up ready for battle, ready to take on whatever accusations he would throw at me but instead was faced with an unprecedented Eric. An Eric who was overjoyed with my survival and almost moved to tears at seeing me. Where was this investment coming from? How could this man possibly have a caring bone in his body? I thought briefly that it could be more related to his child surviving but he had yet to even ask about them. It was me he had held as though he would never see me again if he let go. And then I'd finally come up with one of my planned retorts. I found myself, strangely, hoping that it would anger him. I almost found myself more scared of him in this happy state than the many times I'd angered him. Angry Eric was someone I had experience with handling. Overjoyed Eric was uncharted territory.

"Just because you didn't lose me doesn't mean you've gained me," I said evenly, keeping the tremors of fear out of my voice.

"I don't care. Today I am content knowing somewhere in the world you and my child are still alive," he said, the smile not leaving his face, seemingly unperturbed by my statement.

I looked up to meet his gaze immediately at that, my stomach dropping as if I'd plummeted down a rollercoaster. "Who _are_ you?" I whispered, appalled at my inability to predict his mood. "And it's not your child! You will not have any part in it's life!" I said louder, crossing my arms defiantly, knowing I'd finally pushed the right button.

His eyebrows shot up, in surprise at my reaction but he still seemed calm. "Are you alright, love?" he asked, seeming perplexed and not the slightest bit upset. I was so afraid of him like this, _what's wrong with me?_

"I'm fine," I snapped.

"Then why are you shaking?" he asked, with what sounded like sincere concern. I realized he was right and tensed to regain control of myself.

"What do you care," I accused, "Stop it!"

"Vi? I'm not doing anything," he said in confusion.

"Just stop…this!" I said gesturing in frustration, "What is wrong with you!"

"Faith, I don't know what you mean, I'm not doing-" and then I saw something click, "Or is that the problem? That I'm not doing anything." There was a long pause as he puzzled it out. "Why do you want me to be angry?" He asked, sounding truly lost.

I sat thunderstruck for a moment before suddenly erupting, "Because I don't know how the heck to deal with you like this! Who even are you? You're so freaking unpredictable I feel like I'm dealing with different people each time I meet you here, except they're all my worst nightmare! I mean, for the love of-" I sputtered to let my brain catch up, pressing my hands into my eyes in frustration, "You molested me AGAIN last time we were here, and before that you tricked me," I said spreading my hands in front of me, "you LIED to me about this whole thing and tried to use my fear against me so you could possess me again. And I thought I was going to regret choosing death, but it turned out to be the BEST decision I've made lately." My hands fell into my lap, "It was a freaking TRAP and to think I almost fell for it! Oh, and-and I guess we're right back to that square again today. You trying to feed some new idea that I would need or, heaven forbid, WANT you in my life. You're trying to make me think you're content or-or happy and I know you're not. Is it not enough for you to know what you've made me in this world? An outcast, undesirable, stupid girl who couldn't keep her legs shut. Well, I've got some news for you, Mister, even if you've ruined my life, I gladly choose it over running back to you. You're not getting me back. Accept it or don't but just STOP this whole act and get back to being your freaking nightmare-ish self!" I said, panting from the force and emotion behind my words.

Eric walked over and casually sat down on the opposing couch, I watched carefully, expecting him to explode at any minute. He then calmly met my gaze, "That would explain your earlier torrent of emotions. Are you done?" he asked patiently, his voice carrying no trace of sarcasm or anger. Not that I cared.

I opened my mouth to lay into him again but he raised his hand quickly, "Peace, Faith, please, I need no more barbs from that sharp tongue of yours."

"Apparently I need to upgrade to veritable assault rifles to get anything through that thick skull of yours," I goaded.

He had to audacity to smile at my vitriol, "They wouldn't do you much good, my love, seeing as such tools are not lethal to me."

"Oh they don't have be lethal, they just have to make it through your head," I bit back.

He continued to smile, a faraway look coming into his gaze, "I almost fear your sharp wit will cause physical harm after centuries of honing it. You're a formidable opponent already."

It was the last straw. My fiery rage sputtered out as though a wet blanket had been thrown on it. Instead, a wave of utter despair overtook me. I felt the lump in my throat tighten and my breath suddenly became a harsh sob, tears rushing unbidden to my eyes as I began to cry, burying my head in my hands, unable to stop the torrent of emotions.

Eric POV

It had slipped out without me even thinking and I cursed silently at my flippancy. I hadn't even thought as I commented but though it'd been a somewhat careless remark, the effect it had on Faith was shocking to say the least. I'd expected a venomous retort, a scathing look or a roll of her eyes but instead, I saw despair consume her features as she suddenly dissolved into tears.

"What's wrong?" I immediately leaned forward and fought the urge to go to her, knowing she didn't want me near.

She said nothing but continued to sob as though her heart were breaking; maybe it was, but why? What had I said that had incited this response? I hadn't said anything she hadn't heard before. Or had I? "Please, love, how have I brought this on? I'm lost," I begged her.

"H-how can you be so damn dismissive?" she hiccupped finally.

I could bear it no longer, I got up and walked over to sit by her. "Talk to me, Faith, what have I done?"

"You-you just brush it all aside as though it doesn't even matter. Every time…" she trailed off for a moment, hiccupping sobs taking her over before she controlled them again enough to continue, meeting my eyes for a moment, "Because it's true, none of it matters to you, because you think in the end you're going to get what you want, and it doesn't matter how, as long as you get it; as long as you get me. And just to think that you're going to pursue me and keep me, no matter my objections, for _eternity_ …" she trailed off and swallowed, looking away to draw in a shaky breath and wiping at her eyes as she fixed her gaze on her hands, gripping her knees, her knuckles white, shoulders hunched. "Eric, I know as well as you do that my freedom has an expiration date. I may bluff and talk as though I believe you'll never find me, but I know it's not true. I have limited resources, a child to weigh me down, and this mental connection with you. I know my luck is going to run out. I only continue to hold out hope that you will _decide_ not find me; I present my case every single time, yet you brush it off _every single time_ ," she said hitting her knee on the words for emphasis. "Every time I come here, that hope only gets dashed, and I-I think I'm reaching my breaking point."

She didn't deliver it with her usual vindictiveness and criticism, she wasn't actively trying to provoke or silence me, instead, it seemed as though everything had been stripped away. There was only raw pain and resignation in her voice delivered in little more than a whisper, interspersed with hiccupping sobs. And oh how it killed me.

"Faith, I-"

"I don't want to hear your new set of excuses," she whispered tiredly.

"You have no idea how unfair that is, love," I responded.

"I would love to hear you spin this around, you always do." Sarcasm. Her walls were going back up.

"You think I revel in this? Do you think I don't know and understand how reluctant you are in all of this and hate that I must push you into it anyways?"

"No one's forcing you to do anything," She spat, "No one forced you to kidnap me, no one forced you to rape me, and no one is forcing you to hunt me down. It's all you."

"It isn't, love. Tell me you don't find it strange that I would do these things to someone I care for so deeply. Why would I hurt you without reason?" I challenged.

"Because you're deluded and sick," she said, her walls getting higher by the minute.

I sighed at her accusation, "It makes no logical sense, my love, and I am nothing if not logical," I said lightly.

"Stop calling me that," she snapped.

I ignored it and pressed on, "I have been forced in ways you could not imagine and would not believe. I've hated every minute of hurting you, and it pains me that my mate, my match in every way, hates and despises me to the point she would rather die than entrust herself to me. You're my everything, love. I didn't take you because you could give me children, I didn't take you because I wanted to bed you, I didn't take you because your suffering gives me some twisted satisfaction; I took you to protect you and I hoped that with time you would grow to return my love."

"That's called Stockholm Syndrome," she retorted.

I rolled my eyes, "I think you're willfully missing my point, Faith."

She shrugged and frowned, "I'm being realistic."

I couldn't help but smile thinly. As much as I knew her opinion of me hadn't really changed, I was still just so relieved that she was alive that I couldn't help but love everything about her, even her cutting remark and stubbornness. "As for your other accusations, I did not lie to you, I did not try to trap you, and I wouldn't say molested as much as tried to save you from yourself. I didn't give you a false choice, Vi, I wasn't testing you, for goodness sake, when you chose death, you truly chose death. My pleas were completely legitimate, my concern was very real, my actions, a last resort. The only reason you are alive is due to Marissa's quick thinking and your own cooperation."

Allison POV

I was hating every minute of this. Eric could not be brought down and it was bugging me to no end. The things he was saying made no sense and I refused to accept any of it until he mentioned my survival, and that Marissa had played a part in it.

"Whatever she did she has my gratitude," I said slowly, "unfortunately, I must begrudgingly give it to you as well."

"I think the 'begrudging' part is quite optional," he quipped, "but all the same, it was my duty. I'm sworn to protect you as my bride. I would be doing a very poor job indeed if I allowed you to die." He was still sitting next to me, with a very intentional gap between us that I silently thanked him for. He hadn't cornered me, he wasn't touching me, though he was sitting close enough that he easily could. I could almost feel the restraint he was using to respect my silent wish for him not to touch me, and it reminded me of the restraint he'd had during my near-death experience.

"Why didn't you do anything?" I asked turning slightly to face him.

He seemed to have lost our conversation trail and looked at me with utter confusion, "To what are you referring?"  
"While I was dying…I had to open our connection completely, but you didn't force it to stay open, you didn't sift through my memories, you didn't look through my eyes…you didn't do anything, and it doesn't make sense."

He looked almost hurt for a moment, "Asking for such an act of trust and immediately undermining it seems counterproductive, wouldn't you say?"

"I think it proves that I'm not in danger. You've undermined my trust plenty of times in the name of 'keeping me safe'. I have nothing else to be kept from, except you, or else you would have done something."

"You are by no means safe. Your immediate threats have been eliminated but there are plenty more that could present themselves."

"That's called, 'life'. You can't and won't protect me from everything."

"Your naiveté is refreshing as always. You know nothing of your situation."

"And who's fault might that be?" I asked flatly.

"Yours if I recall correctly. You didn't stay even when you were promised closure upon your return."

I sighed, "Surely we aren't back to this."

"You're positively dizzying with the circles you take our conversations in, my love."

"I told you to stop calling me that," I said sharply.

"Why should I? It's what you are."

I let out a small huff of contempt. "As if you know what love is. You love me like a lion loves a lame antelope."

He leaned in with a smirk, "Afraid of the fact that I want a bite?" he purred.

I rolled my eyes at the double meaning. His tone would usually have scared me but I knew I was safe for tonight; he was in a repentant mood and wouldn't be following through on his threat. I looked away with a frown, "I concede the round of wits to you, I however, need to go. I'm very tired, and I'm sure I'll be waking up very soon," I said standing, an underlying bite of sarcasm in my voice.

He leaned over and caught my wrist as I stood, "Wait," he said gently. I turned to face him, taken aback to see his eyes shining in adoration. "Might I at least know something of our child?" I'd been careful the entire time to not give away the twins, knowing it could be a very big advantage for Eric's search. Little would he know that as I continued to refer to "them" I wasn't lying.

"I knew this wasn't about me," I accused sharply, "I'm not giving you anything! Not their name, not their sex, not their weight." I said twisting my hand to slip away but his grip was unyielding as he spoke up.

"It is every bit about you! Have you even been listening to a word I say?" he chided. "And I expect nothing so blatant. You're unwaveringly meticulous in keeping every detail from me," he assured me his tone full of barely suppressed exasperation, letting me know I might finally be wearing on him. "But surely there is something, anything I could know of my child that does no harm." He pleaded.

I met his eyes steadily, and my heart swelled, as I thought of the twins. I was already so in love with them. I carefully tried to think of something that would appease him and not give him a free hint. "They're beautiful," I suddenly said without thinking, my eyes watering slightly, for though I was staring at my nightmare, I was also staring at their father and the amalgam of emotions that sprung from that were so conflicting I didn't even know where to start. I shoved it all back down to be dealt with later.

He smiled at me, surprisingly satisfied with my vague answer, "You need to sleep, love," he said, standing and taking my other hand, holding them up between us. "But I have a gift for you before you leave."

"What makes you think I want any gifts you have to offer?" I asked acridly.

He tutted gently, still smiling ever so slightly, "I'm positive you'll be quite keen to accept it."

"I have a choice in accepting then?"

He rolled his eyes slightly, "Honestly, Faith, I have half a mind not to even offer it anymore; which would be a shame because then I'll just have torment you with what you could have accepted if you would only trust me."

"You're being insufferable. Fine, what is it?" I snipped, my patience gone.

He was silent for a long moment as he looked me over and seemed to make up his mind. "As I am unable to cater to your needs in person, my gift shall be that I will not contact you for the year so you may rest as much as possible," he said.

I stood dumbstruck for what felt like an eternity. "The year?" I barely whispered in utter disbelief.

"The year," he repeated. "Let me clarify that I will still search for you, but I will not pull you here or speak up unannounced unless I have true cause for concern or if I do find you."

It was still better than I could have dreamed. "You can't be serious," I said still whispering.

He laughed, "And why is that?"

"You're…there's a catch there somewhere. Who are you and what did you do with Eric?"

"I believe I already informed you of the 'catches'," he said patiently. "And do I truly have no redeeming values that you can't recognize my sincerity?" it was said with levity but I heard the hurt and worry behind it.

I bowed my head, looking down at my hands, "Thank you."

"Does that mean you want it?" he teased. "I knew you'd be happy to accept," he said as he kissed the backs of my hands, prompting me to look up again, "I demand only one caveat from you. Never hesitate to contact me should you need any advice in handling the little one. They could be full of surprises," he said seriously.

"Is there anything I should know?" I asked with a bit of concern.

"Unfortunately, no, each dhamphir is very different, I just ask for your promise to not hesitate in reaching out. I truly want to help you in any way I can."

I debated inwardly, knowing it could very well supply him with more clues, but also knowing he would be my only source of supernatural information. I would just have to tread carefully. "I promise, Eric." I knew he saw my hesitancy but he still visibly relaxed and then pulled me in slanting his lips over mine tenderly before I felt myself start to wake. He could feel it too. He released me and smiled again. "Take care, Faith," he said almost tenderly before disappearing, as I woke to the cries of the twins.

...

A/N: Dang! I am so generous! TWO CHAPTERS. Um maybe...you could ya know...tell me what you're thinking about the story...in a review, or a message, or a carrier pigeon...something? I'M SORRY I SOUND SO NEEDY BUT I REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS LIKE OR DISLIKE ABOUT THE STORY. okay, I'm done. I love each and every one of you either way


	21. Chapter 21

ISFNE Chapter 21

Eric POV

 _She survived. I cannot believe I'm writing these words but she is alive; all is not lost. Of course, I'm still not much nearer to finding her, but she and the child survived and that will content me for some time. My last meeting with her though has left me feeling somewhat hollow. My once bright and vivacious bride has seemingly disappeared altogether. She has been fading for sometime but it struck this time that though it started as merely a means of hiding for Faith Allison to not exist, it is now almost the truth. Faith seems to be gone and in her place is a jaded shell of a girl, full of bitterness and fear. And I am the cause. She pleads with me each time to leave her, to stop relentlessly searching, and I find my heart breaking at the fact that I cannot; I almost wish that I could. I may have saved her from death, but I find myself fearing that Faith has already died._

Simon POV

I walked into the apartment and hung up my jacket and keys, "Alright, let's get this over with," I called out, hearing the TV on and knowing they were all likely watching something together.

"Don't sound so excited!" Kyle called back, earning some chuckles from the others.

"I'm ecstatic," I grumbled as Kate came running in, red curls bouncing as she dragged me into the living room the TV now off with everyone gathered together, one of the chairs open, the hot seat. I was not looking forward to a second round of questions. Especially not with their new ideas and possible information from their visit.

"Well I might as well start with the obvious question of how your paths crossed," Chloe said, sounding nonchalant but looking positively thrilled with the current situation.

"Right to the point I see," I said, annoyed with the knowledge of how quickly everything was going to get misconstrued if we started from this point, I'd have to gloss over parts heavily and keep it dry as possible, probably leave a lot out. But then wouldn't it possibly get me in trouble with them later if they found out? How the heck would they find out? I was overthinking this. "She showed up on the doorstep of the bookstore and Grams took her in because she thought she was drunk. She didn't want her left on the streets in such a state seeing as it could get dangerous for her," I sighed, and carefully navigated the next part, "Unfortunately, she wasn't drunk, she was succumbing to hypothermia, something I recognized when I got there. Anyways, Grams and I helped her recover and I figured that was the end of it. But Grams had other ideas, especially when we found out she was pregnant." I wrapped it up, having told the bare bones.

"So that's what she meant," Chloe said, more to herself than out loud.

"What did she say?" I asked, immediately suspicious.

"That you and Gram's had saved her life," Chloe responded.

"That's a bit heavy handed," I said, trying to move away from the topic.

"So, what, she just lives at the bookstore now?" Grant interjected.

"Yeah, Grams put her in my old room, I crash on the couch if I'm there."

"So you're not going to enlighten us about anything that happened before this? Who is this girl?" Chloe asked pointedly.

"What do you mean?"  
"Well you've oh-so-conveniently glossed over her being pregnant and on the streets, so maybe some explanation on those fronts?"

Chloe, always a little too observant. What was I supposed to say? The information I did have wasn't mine to give, but I needed to bring the interrogation to a close as soon as possible and that wouldn't happen if I brought up Allison's shrouded past. I could be fairly truthful and vague at the same time, but I couldn't appear like I was hiding information lest it start a new barrage of questions. "To be honest, Chloe, it's because I know about as much as you. There's plenty of conjecture that I have, but she's as private as they come. All I know is it was likely abuse, her trust has been betrayed too many times. She's got a lot of symptoms of PTSD, which is one of many reasons I'm keeping my distance."

"Ooh! Yes! Now we're getting somewhere!" Kate exclaimed. "We want the list; we know you have it! You always do."

"The list?"

"Of reasons why you're not in love with this girl, why it's a bad idea, what's wrong with her…all your excuses," she said with a grin.

"Good lord, guys, there's too many to name," I said in exasperation.

"Try," Chloe demanded.

"Why? Shouldn't you guys just trust my judgment on this matter? Have I ever not had logical reasoning?" I baited them.

Chloe was about to retort but Kyle quickly pulled her back and spoke instead, "That's exactly the problem, Si. You get too logical, Chlo and Kate get too caught up in emotions; we need to balance the two out. I want to be logical about this too, but I won't let you be solely ruled by your brain. Chlo and I met the girl, we like her a lot, but we know there's a lot we don't know, and we want you to fill that in so we can get a full picture."

"Pfft," I rolled my eyes slightly, "You guys are all just desperate to play matchmaker."

Chloe's face changed at that comment, she looked, almost sad, "Simon, we just don't want you to be blind to someone who could make you happy. Someone you obviously already care a great deal about. So come on, tell us why we're wrong. Let us see if we can give you some logic from our side as well."

I paused for a while, trying to decide whether to even take their bait or not. What the hell, it couldn't hurt. Besides, I did have plenty of reasons to shoot them down, and I could maybe say 'I told you so' at the end of it all. "She's too young for starters," I finally responded.

"How young?"

"She can't be more than eighteen."

"So you don't actually know?"

Dang it, that had been a slip up, luckily I had something to fall back on, "I told you, she's incredibly private. She's got newborn twins on her hands now, that doesn't leave much time for anything else in her life."

"You wouldn't be an addition, you're already around, you'd just be around more, and with twins I'm sure that could be appreciated," Grant pointed out.

"I don't even know her. Not when I really get down to it."

"Then you keep trying, she'll confide eventually, right?"

I was silent for a long time, before uttering my most devastating reason. "She's afraid of me."

I was met with silence. Long, painfully drawn out silence as they waited for me to elaborate.

"It's like I said, I think she had a traumatic relationship. I'm almost positive the twins resulted from her being raped. And it wasn't random, seeing as her trust is in shambles. She doesn't trust me; she perceives me as an imminent threat. It's like her every move is to try to stave me off. She freezes at the most innocuous of touches, she deflects any attempts to get closer to her, and she looks at me with such fear sometimes it makes me feel sick," I sighed, my voice becoming more resigned, "She's had moments of truly frightening intrusion and that worries me further that I could possibly bear a resemblance to her abuser. And even if by some miracle, she was to let me in, what if all I end up doing is harming her further? I mean, I would never do anything to her purposefully, but what if I earn her trust, only to lose it again? She has two kids to worry about and a life to build, and with all of these problems, what if I push my front to only end up breaking her further? I can't justify my selfish desire to know her when she so obviously does not return to feeling."

They all sat eyes wide, frozen somewhere between shock and distress. I stole a glance at Kate, there were tears in her eyes and she was gripping Grant's hand like a lifeline. Chloe's head bowed as she studied her hands, folded in her lap, Kyle's arm was around her, as he sat looking disturbed.

"Is that enough reason for you guys to understand why this is so bad?" I pleaded, all vitriol and sarcasm gone from my voice.

Grant finally spoke up after processing everything for a while, "Maybe instead of seeing it as a possibility to fail her, you should see it as a possibility to help her."

I was about to interject but he held up his hands in defense, "I know it's a complex and difficult situation, but you do care about her, right?"

"Is it not clear that I do?"

"I'm just saying you're seeing every way this goes wrong. But you aren't seeing how you can help her through these things. She perceives you as a threat, so you are able to show her that you aren't, that you will never cause her intentional harm. You gain her trust and you don't betray it. You help her fix her perceptions of men so she doesn't live in constant fear. You see all the ways you can hurt her; I see a great deal of opportunity to heal her. Even if only through friendship."

"Invite her to something, Simon, just tell her you want to introduce her to your friends. Even if you don't want to try for a relationship right now, or ever, make her part of the group. I can only imagine how lonely she gets," Chloe said, slipping her hand into Kyle's.

Marissa POV

Eric was more withdrawn than usual. He spent most of his days writing in the record what little he could, seeing as he'd caught up to present day. He seemed to have an almost defeated air about him that worried Max and me, so naturally I was tasked with ascertaining the problem. Eric had always had a soft spot for me seeing as I'd been one of his first subordinates. I had helped him in his quest for Elizabeth getting to play as his sister to keep her ignorant. I'd been wildly nervous at first, for though I'd always had no problem stating my opinions and holding my own, I was supposed to be acting familiar with the Dracula, my ultimate superior. But Eric had been assuring and kind and eventually coaxed me out of my blind deference to truly play to him as my brother. I smiled to myself as I remembered; maybe I'd taken to the role a bit too well, for I was sure that Eric sometimes wished I would hold my tongue and not treat him as my equal, but I also knew how much he valued it. He liked that I was willing to call him out on things and candidly offer my opinions as long as I always knew my place when the time was right. I had to know what had so recently affected him though. He'd been so happy and content for a while with the knowledge that Faith hadn't perished, but his mood had seemingly turned somber overnight.

I walked into his study silently, seeing him silently staring out the window, his and Elizabeth's record clutched in his hand behind his back. "Why are you torturing yourself, Eric? Why dwell and brood on the past?" I asked gently.

"Because I'm afraid that Faith is the past."

This confused me to no end, "Eric, we saved her, she's alive. And she's out there too! You'll see. Max is working on sorting through hospital records already. It's not going to be fast, but it's going to work."

"No, you misunderstand me, Marissa," he said with a heavy sigh bowing his head, still not turning, "it just feels so… pointless, searching for her."

"Eric, you know as well as I there is always anarchy brewing. She's not safe until she is yours. Especially with the rumors that are appearing of you having lost your bride. She is unlocked, she's still connected to you, and anyone could steal her away and use her against you. You know she's still a liability."

"A liability? If you want to put it in sterile unfeeling terms, yes, but…she is a girl," he said quietly.

"I don't understand, Eric. Rather, I understand but I'm confused as to your point," I said, absolutely baffled.

"Marissa, much as I like to ignore it she is not just my bride she is a person. She had a life, goals, and dreams that had nothing to do with me. She deserves happiness more than anyone and yet she is deprived of it because of me," he said turning to face me finally. "Was I delusional to think I would ever be able to give it to her?"

"Never. Hopeful and optimistic? Yes. Delusional though, no," I said going to him and holding his arm, "Eric, you tried to give her what you could in such a sort and pressured amount of time. You made hard decisions. Decisions she will hopefully one day understand."

"Decisions that have scarred her seemingly irreparably. She is not happy, Marissa. Even with her freedom, even as I've stopped communicating with her, she is just anxious and worried. I've condemned her in this world. Maybe not as overtly as she would be in the past, but she's an outcast. I've saddled her with so much responsibility that she shouldn't have to bear alone. She could be used to destroy me and she doesn't even know it; hell, she could probably do it herself if she had enough of a mind to. But why her? She doesn't deserve this pain. She's laid out how bleak her prospects are to me so many times. And I…" he clenched his fist, shrugging me off and walking toward the chairs, "I have to make one a reality. I have to make her unhappy."

"You can make this work, I know it. It's never going to be easy, but if you want her happiness so badly, and her happiness will bring you yours, it's worth all the pain."

"Is it worth it, Rissa? What if she never forgives me? What if she lets it fester for the rests of our miserable existences?" He asked, crumpling into the chair. "She pleaded with me to leave her alone almost every time I connected with her. She begged me to not search her out and it broke my heart to refuse her every time, to know that I can't even if I wanted to. What if I've only ruined her life in the same way I did Elizabeth's?"

I walked over and sat of the arm of the chair, "You didn't ruin Elizabeth's life, Xavier did. And you know what? He ruined Faith's life too. Sure you may have been the reason or the tool, but that doesn't make the blame fall completely on your shoulders. You did things you shouldn't have, but they were what you needed to do at these different times. You shielded your identity from Elizabeth, you took Faith by force, but they were what you had to do. You can't change what has happened, you can't change your circumstances, but you can make amends and make the best of them." I put my hand on his, prompting his to look at me, "Elizabeth loved you, I hold out hope that Faith can someday as well."

"I don't deserve her love, were she ever to give it."

"Do any of us deserve love, ever? We of all things should know what fallen people do," I said, squeezing his hand.

We sat like that for a while before Eric finally stood and, releasing my hand, kissed my forehead and put his hands on my shoulders. "Thank you, Marissa, I am always happy for your counsel."

"I'm always happy to give it," I said softly.

"I still wonder at it, you know. I believe I sometimes still think of you as my sister, Marissa."

"Anyone would be lucky to call you a brother, and I'm truly grateful you still allow me to have such familiarity with you. I liked the role of your younger sister."

"You and Elizabeth were thick as thieves, I confess I got jealous at times," he said with a smile. "Why is it you become so attached to my brides?"

"To torment you, of course," I said with a winning smile. "But honestly, I told you everything anyways, why is it you made me betray my friends?" I teased.

"You must believe that I always aimed to make them happy."

"I never doubted it, Eric, and I never will. You're going to win Faith over. It's not going to be easy or quick, but I truly believe you will."


	22. Chapter 22

ISFNE Chapter 22

Allison POV

Three months flew by with many a sleepless night and new discovery. For one the twins were both beginning to crawl and babble, making it harder to keep up with them. Grams and Simon had both surprised me by stepping up to help at many different points. Many nights I would wake up to the cries of the twins and finally get up to find that Grams had already made her way upstairs to help console them. Simon wasn't even deterred by a dirty diaper or spit up to help out as well with Ellie and Ollie, Simon's nicknames of course. He'd debated for a while on whether to go with Ellie or Nora but he couldn't resist the way Ellie and Ollie sounded together, so it had stuck, though I usually stuck to calling Solomon by name. I finally started working in the bookstore again for the Christmas season, letting the two stay behind the counter in the playpen where I could easily keep an eye on them and cater to their needs when necessary. Through it all Simon was amazing. He'd become such a natural part of life and an amazing help throughout, more than I could have imagined. The twins recognized and attached to him and I found myself forming an actual friendship with him. He wouldn't dig into my past as he had before, but I was always aware he wanted to and refrained, and for that he had my continual, silent thanks.

The twins had actually helped the bookstore's business because so many regulars would come in to check on them and love on them and I started to truly get to know the beautiful little neighborhood I was living in. One of the only times I'd ventured out into the neighborhood I'd run across a jewelry store and seen a beautiful cross pendant inside. It was a cheaper version and different style than my original one, but I had to have it. I'd saved every little bit that Eleanor gave me and finally bought it, determined to never take it off. If Eric did ever find me he was going to be unable to take me. I knew I had to get some for the twins as well as another preventative measure, but I had some time. As long as I always kept them close, he couldn't touch them either.

Simon POV

Allison was letting her guard down slowly and allowing me to be a part of her life, but I had stopped trying to dig into her past for fear of her shutting me out again. I got the feeling she knew I was treading lightly but she never called me on it. She continued to ingratiate herself to anyone she could. The whole town seemed to have fallen in love with her. I was glad for it. It was a neighborhood with an older population that had all followed my life through Grams as if they were extended family and finally having Allison around as a constant was integrating her into the neighborhood. She was young, pretty, kind, and had two beautiful children; they came flocking as the word spread. The bookstore had more business as the neighbors started becoming regulars, checking in with Ellie and Ollie as well as Allison. They were all smitten.

Solomon was bouncing around in the playpen while Alice held Ellie trying to get her to burp after feeding. The bells above the door rang as the door to the shop opened.

"Merry Christmas!" Allison called out as she turned to see Mrs. Finch, the neighborhood busybody come into the store. She was a small lady, extremely bubbly and a bit obliviously intrusive. She could be quite pushy at times but we all loved her anyways. She usually came in at some point during the week to pass on some gossip to Allison and fawn over the twins.

"Ah! Allison, dearie, how are you? It's finally snowing hm?"

"Yeah, it really seems to be coming down out there, are the roads awful?" Allison asked conversationally, swaying slightly with Ellie, patting her back.

"Oh they're as good as can be expected I guess, though I did hear Julie's son slid into a ditch this morning, nothing serious, thank goodness, but the boy has only been driving a month or so alone, what could you expect? My Colin was always so cautious, he never got into any accidents."

I rolled my eyes at Mrs. Finch's mention of her son. Colin Finch and I had been friends growing up but he ran with a different crowd as we got older. He had been a perfectly nice person but Mrs. Finch constantly singing his praises could grind on anyone's nerves. It didn't help that she seemed to mention him so often around Allison and how she hoped he would bring a girl home for the holidays. He hadn't come home for Thanksgiving but he would be around for Christmas.

"Yes, well. Everyone makes mistakes," Alice dismissed the comment breezily, "is there anything I can help you find, today?"

"Oh, bless you, Allison, you know I wanted to just peek in on your little angels, unless my book order is in early," Ellie took this opportunity to finally burp, winning praises from Allison as she wiped at Ellie's mouth and then walked over to hand her to Mrs. Finch.

"It's not unfortunately, but far be it from me to not let you say hello," she said with a smile, stepping back as Mrs. Finch cooed over Eleanor.

"She's positively precious, dearie, and she's getting so big!"

"Yes, well, she's a little less precious when she screaming for me to rock her back to sleep at three in the morning," Allison teased as Ellie was handed back.

"You little, rascal," Mrs. Finch scolded Ellie with a smile. "I'll be going now, I'll keep checking in about the order though, keep you up on what's going on!" she said, the door tinkling as she left.

There were a few beats of silence as Alice stared after her, "She knows we'll call her when her order comes in, right?"

I laughed at that when Solomon suddenly started crying, Allison huffed slightly and moved to put Ellie down in the playpen, "I'll take her," I said stepping closer. Allison handed her to me without hesitation, a very recent development that I still quietly reveled in. "Sure, you'll take _her_ , not the one currently crying," she grumbled, pulling Solomon out of the playpen.

"I'm pretty certain that one needs his diaper changed. I'm just being strategic," I teased. "And to answer your questions, yes, she does know, but she'll take any chance to come gossip and see these two."

"I don't understand it! I barely even know the people she gossips about and I certainly don't ask for new info." She said shifting Solomon slightly and looking relieved when she realized he did not, in fact, need a new diaper. She rummaged in the diaper bag for a pacifier which Solomon thankfully took.

"Have you considered she maybe comes to gather new gossip?" I proposed.

She froze up slightly, giving a worried glance, "What do you mean?" she asked quietly. I was puzzled at this reaction, until the sentence that followed, "Am I still the talk of the town?" she sounded hurt.

"It's naptime for the little ones!" Grams announced coming down from the apartment, interrupting any response I had. She was humming as she rounded the corner but immediately stopped at the look on Allison's face. "What's wrong, hon?" she asked in concern.

Grams POV

"Nothing, Grams, I'm-"

"Mrs. Finch just left and Allison's getting all out of sorts about her coming in all the time with gossip," Simon interrupted, "worried that's she might be leaving with all sorts of rumors and hearsay to spread about her. Tell her that's silly."

"Well of course it's silly, there's no "might be" about it," I said, brushing past and picking up my namesake. Allison's face fell immediately in disappointment which I saw and rushed to correct, "Allison, she comes in because you rarely come out. The whole town has been buzzing about the pretty new girl the Timmons took in and how she has two adorable babies with her. Sure there were some malicious ones that circulated briefly, but I put them to rest when I heard them. Now you're just an intrigue, a mystery. You need to get out more often."

"I've got a demanding newborn times two, I doubt I'll be going anywhere soon." She said, sounding a little defeated, "Besides, there's nowhere for me to go, the bookstore is my home now, everything outside of this part of town is uncharted territory."

"You can't hide behind the twins forever, Allison. You need to socialize," I prodded gently. If I played my cards right, Simon would have a perfect opportunity, to make an innocuous move on Allison. I hadn't missed how smitten yet frustrated he'd become with her. If he asked now, I could easily prompt her into accepting, but he had to catch on. He was sharp though; he'd see what I was angling for.

Allison laughed somewhat nervously at my suggestion, "I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Start by being my plus one for Kyle's family's Christmas party," Simon suddenly suggested. I smiled to myself; bingo.

Allison POV

"No-no, don't feel any obligations to me, I'm sure you have someone you wanted to take as your plus one already, don't change anything on my account," I said quickly. Why was my heart beating like I'd downed a shot of espresso? I was taken aback at Simon's invitation. What kind of plus-one was this? If it was a plus-one that already meant it was more than a college party. And was he just being nice? Why was I reading into this as though my life depended on it? Was I really this afraid and reluctant in my friendship with Simon?

"Actually I wasn't planning on using it. And Chloe has been asking about you for a while now so you can see her and Kyle again, plus I can introduce you to some of my other friends," Simon responded.

"Simon, you don't have to try to incorporate me into your friend group," I said, trying to give him another out, a last ditch effort as I handed Solomon over to Grams.

"What if I want to?" He asked, shifting Ellie to his hip and walking a little closer, holding my gaze, his smile almost cajoling in nature. "You don't have to live in two separate worlds."

"I think it's settled then! You go have a lovely time socializing with Simon and I'll stay with the twins for the night," Grams suddenly piped up, closing the matter. I apparently had accepted. I didn't see a point in arguing, it was only one night, and Grams was more than capable of taking care of the twins, and Chloe and Kyle had been very nice, I'd like to have a chance to see them again. Before anything else could be said on the topic, another customer came in diverting Simon's gaze as I went to greet them while he and Grams took Ellie and Solomon respectively upstairs for a nap. The topic didn't come up again when we closed up the store, or over dinner as we ate lasagna, or when I bid them goodnight and went upstairs, but I turned it over again and again as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep.

Simon POV

"Well, that was enlightening," Grams said as we continued to sit at the kitchen table, Alice having gone upstairs already.

"That was a little too convenient of an opening wasn't it," I said to Grams as she stood and began to prepare a cup of tea.

"I don't know what you mean, Simon," she said, back still to me as she put the kettle on the stove.

"Oh come off it, Grams, you're setting me up and you know it," I said with a little bit of annoyance, "you're lucky it worked out this time."

"Oh please, Simon, you've been in love with her for months now, don't play like I'm forcing you two together," she said dismissively as she sat back down. "As for it working out 'this time' I believe you should be thanking me for securing you an outing with Allison. She did seem surprisingly resistant, didn't she? To your credit you handled it marvelously."

I took my glasses off to clean them, putting them back on and slumping back in my chair with a small sigh, "Yes, well I've been pretty much doing this sort of negotiation with her for any and every thing I do. I've become somewhat of an expert." Grams leaned forward and put a hand on my arm as I continued. "I don't know, maybe she really shouldn't go, I think this really scared her."

"Well, of course it scared her, but she handled it. She's never going to get better, or grow if she doesn't get pushed outside her comfort zone, and her comfort zone is much too small. I really don't think she's as opposed to you as you think she is or as she appears to be."

Whatever you say, Grams. Look I should head back to the apartment, I'll see you tomorrow," I said leaning over to kiss her cheek before leaving.

"I'm going to be using my plus one this year for your family's party," I informed Kyle, "I'm sorry I RSVP'd already without checking the box."

He waved his hand dismissively, watching a movie with Grant and Kate "It's not going to really matter, it all evens out in the end."

"WHO?!" Kate blurted out, pausing the movie.

"Who do you think?" I retorted, playfully rolling my eyes.

"You mean…I'm finally going to meet her?" Kate asked in awe.

"How'd you manage that? I thought you said she wasn't anywhere near ready for a move of any sort?" Grant asked, leaning back. Chloe was the only one missing from the party, she had a night class.

"She wasn't really. She's not; but Grams set it into motion so perfectly that I had to take advantage. I think she'll be okay once she gets there."

"How do you know she won't flip?" Grant asked.

"Oh she probably will, she already did a little, but I can handle it," I said with a small sigh. "I still think she doesn't like me; I think she sees me more as a part of her life that's not going to go away."

"Is she really that bad still? I thought you said she was mellowing? That she trusted you more?"

"She shies away from me still at every turn, why would anyone do that even if they were indifferent."

"Have you ever thought she may be shying away from an emotion rather than a person? She doesn't want to trust you; she doesn't want to like you as anything more than a friend."

"Geez Grant, that psychiatry program is doing you a lot of favors," I responded.

He shrugged with a grin, "Maybe I can do a better diagnosis when I meet her at the party."

"I'm sure you can. If anyone besides Chloe can get her to open up it's you. Don't give her a battery of questions and tests but I'm not going to try to stop you from doing what you're naturally going to want to do," I said.

"So is twenty questionnaires too many?" he teased, "Don't worry, I'll restrain myself," he said still grinning as he turned back to Kate and started the movie again.

Eric POV

Three months had passed yet she hadn't contacted me at all, and though it wasn't surprising, it was disappointing all the same. I still kept tabs on her emotions but there was little to glean from them except that she was, in fact, going through the wringer that was motherhood.

It was slow progress as we worked through the different cases from the hospitals. Any one of them could be Faith seeing as she'd changed her name and we had no ideas about the child. We eliminated some through research but other were eliminated based on other factors like multiples, anything that suggested a present father, child's death, and mother's death. It was slow and tedious work, and when we could not find enough information we called upon different subjects living in the states near the woman in question to ascertain things for us. It felt like I was never going to find her.

Allison POV

The party drew nearer and nearer, yet I failed to bring it up for a few days, though I wanted to ask Simon about it. Finally, with only two weeks left, I got up the nerve.

"So this party that Kyle's family is throwing, why is there a plus one invitation?" I asked, studying the counter to avoid catching Simon's eyes, Solomon situated on my hip, his sister asleep upstairs with the baby monitor by the register.

"Oh man, I haven't told you about the party," he said, setting down the box he'd grabbed from storage. "Kyle's family is well…affluent, and they throw a Christmas party every year for anyone lucky enough to be invited. It's a pretty fancy affair, lots of networking opportunities and such but also a lot of people just looking for other people to have fun with. I earned my way in as Kyle's roommate back in Sophomore year and Grant did as well."

"I'm having second thoughts, I mean, I don't have anything to wear to any sort of occasion, and I'll stick out like a sore thumb, I'm not even a college student," I started rambling.

"You would be though, and you will be as soon as you get a chance to breathe a little more with the twins. I saw you browsing through those online universities." I blushed a little and finally looked up at him, "and a dress is completely solvable," he said. "One second." He went out the back to where his car was parked, emerging a few minutes later with a box in his hands. "I was going to give this to you tomorrow, but now seems as good a time as any," he said. I stared at the box as he put it on the counter next to me with a smile and motioned for me to hand him Solomon.

"Simon, no, you didn't-" I started.

"Of course I did. It's your Christmas present, a little early. Chloe dragged me all over creation to find something we could agree on. I think we came to a good compromise, but if not you're free to exchange it." he said still smiling.

"I can't even begin to give you a gift equivalent, I can't accept it," I said, getting that jittery nervous feeling in the bottom of my stomach again, I was extremely uncomfortable with what was happening, but why?

"It's a gift, of course you can."

"It's too nice, I couldn't possibly-"

"Geez, Alice, you haven't even opened it, it could be atrocious for all you know," he teased lightly, "And if it passes muster, the only gift I need is you wearing it for the party."

Simon POV

She was staring at the box like it was going to pounce on her if she made a sudden move. I was extremely nervous about her reaction, but trying to not let it show, "Well, go on," I prompted, holding out my arms again to take Solomon. She seemed to come out of her trance and finally handed Solomon to me, carefully opening the lid.

The dress was neatly folded under a layer of tissue paper and she lifted it out carefully, letting it unfold itself. Seeing her holding it was making me even more sure that I'd picked well. It was made of a thicker fabric, vibrant red but not obnoxiously so, with a thick skirt that fell in large pleats. At the bottom of the skirt the material changed into a sheer panel tinted the same color before being followed again by a small strip of the original fabric. I peeked at her expression and was happy to see she was looking at it with awe. "Go try it on," I prompted again.

"Simon-" she started.

"Go!" I cut her off in mock exasperation, smiling.

She opened her mouth to protest again but seemed to think better of it and with a small smile went upstairs.

She came down a little while later, still in her sweater and jeans, holding the dress draped over her arms.

"It's lovely, I just, I can't accept it. I don't know if I should even go to the party still. I'll be glaringly immature compared to any other college students there and I don't want to put you in any position that-"

"Allison," I interrupted gently. "You are the least immature person I know; you're going to fit in perfectly fine. You're not going to embarrass me or anyone else. Are you really so against going?" I asked with concern, hiking Solomon a little higher on my hip.

"No, no, I'm just nervous I guess. I never did big social events very well, even before. Homecoming and Valentines Day dances were a nightmare."

"Don't worry, it's not like that; I think you'll be fine. Although I am disappointed I don't get to see a sneak peek of the dress after all my hard work. Did it fit?"

She blushed, "Yes, it did. It's really lovely. But I think you'd rather see it all put together for the party."

"Looking forward to it, I'm glad you liked it. I know dresses are risky business for gifts, but Chloe will be happy to hear she kept me on track," I said glancing at the clock and brushing past her to go lock the door and start closing up the shop.

She carefully folded it back up into the box and then finished closing up behind the counter, grabbing the box, tucking it gently under her arm, and then following me and Solomon up the stairs. These weeks couldn't pass fast enough.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: A wonderfully long chapter to tide you all over. Enjoy! (psst review too!)

...

ISFNE Chapter 23

Allison POV

The dress had been plaguing my thoughts all week long. When I'd tried it on I'd been determined to say it didn't fit, or didn't fall right, knowing it would be difficult to replace in such a small timeframe, possibly giving me an out for the party. But when I slipped it on I knew there was no way I could do such a thing. It fit like a glove and the way it made me look was both frightening and exciting at the same time. I looked mature yet youthful. Classy yet tempting. Modest yet teasing. I would have liked to put a stitch or two to close the neckline slightly as it fell a little too low for my liking, but even with that I was amazed. I never dressed in anything that conformed to my figure anymore, it was probably a mixture between never wanting something that could get ruined by the twins and a defense mechanism. But because of this I'd basically lost sight of what I even looked like, I never stopped to fuss about it. But as I dressed for the party tonight, the dress told me plain as day, I had a waist again, my pregnancy weight was gone and most surprising of all, thanks to my current state, I had cleavage, something I'd never had before and that the dress gave a tasteful view of. I looked down at the skirt feeling very conscious of how much of my legs it showed off. It was deceiving in length because of the panel, even if it was tinted the same color as the dress. It wasn't instantly obvious, but if anyone looked for more than a few seconds there was a fair amount of leg to be seen. I'd never seen myself this way. To be quite honest, it had scared me a little to see what I looked like in this dress. And what others would possibly think of me in it. I felt bound to attract attention and could only hope that there were much more interesting dresses and people to pay attention to.

I was almost experimenting as I got ready, almost forgetting that I was preparing for a party and instead testing how far I could take this transformation. I tried hairstyle after hairstyle after realizing belatedly that I needed to recolor my roots; too late to do anything for tonight. I did makeup for the first time in an eon and made it bring out my features, transfixed and lost in the transformation I was bringing on myself, almost rediscovering myself.

"Oh hon, you look lovely," Grams exclaimed, interrupting my strange trance. I glanced at myself as a whole, barely recognizing me. I'd done too well. I needed to change it. What had I been thinking?

"I feel exposed, are you sure it's not too much? I'm so worried," I said, feeling anxiety bubble up in me.

"Don't be," Grams said with a beaming smile, "you look gorgeous," she whispered. "Simon's here if you're ready to go," she said.

Frick, frick, frick, I didn't want to go like this. "I can't go like this," slipped out before I could stop it.

"What's wrong?" Grams asked, worry crossing her face.

"I don't – I don't even recognize myself," I whispered, studying myself in the mirror and how the person before me mimicked my ever move, still not believing.

"Why? Because what's outside finally matches what's inside?" she asked sweetly.

"Grams-"

"You should stop discounting yourself so much, Allison," she chided lightly, "you are a lovely, beautiful young woman inside and out. It's about time you get to highlight it." She patted my shoulders and kissed my temple, "I'll be downstairs with Simon. Don't take too long."

Simon POV

I'd arrived at the bookstore a little early to pick up Allison and had been promptly scolded by Grams when I tried to go upstairs. Grams got up to check on Allison and let her know I was here.

"Oh hon, you look lovely," I heard her exclaim from upstairs.

"I feel exposed, are you sure it's not too much? I'm so worried," I faintly heard her respond.

"Don't be," Grams responded. "Simon's here if you are ready to go," she finally stated.

There was a delay in response but I then heard footsteps on the stairs, I perked up and was disappointed to see Grams.

"Getting a little impatient?" she asked quietly, a teasing smile on her face. I rolled my eyes.

"How does it look?" I asked eagerly. Suddenly I heard another lighter set of footsteps.

"You can see for yourself," she said with a smile.

Allison appeared at the top of the stairs and by god, if she didn't make me forget how to breathe for a second. Standing in front of me was not the Allison I knew who wore loose sweaters and jeans; no, this was a new and beautiful side of Allison, the dress emphasizing how shapeless her usual outfits were.

The dress had an elegant, off-shoulder neckline that gave a tasteful hint of cleavage before it tapered at the waist, forming the skirt which was stiff enough to not hang limp, but not so much as to look juvenile. It fell an inch or two short of her knees, but because of the panel of sheer red fabric it teased onlookers with a little more of her legs, something I couldn't deny was a lovely sight. Her hair was pinned up in a large bun on top of her head, her roots peeking through, fairly lighter than the rest of her hair, with a few strands of hair falling in gentle curls. Her bangs were not parted as they had been so often and instead were styled covering her forehead completely, a thin silver headband accenting them. Her small silver cross rested around her neck and black ballet flats completed her outfit. She was even wearing makeup, another thing I'd never seen her with, the eyeliner bringing out her blue eyes, or at least her contacts that she'd been even vigilant with. Still, I hadn't expected such a transformation; it was more than I could have hoped for.

She peeked up slightly, blue eyes shyly meeting mine. "Wow," I said, trying valiantly not to ogle or stare, but knowing I was failing miserably. I simply could not reconcile the conflicting images.

"It's too much isn't it? I should get a sweater to wear over it, should probably tone down the eyeliner too. Is it the bangs? It's probably the bangs, I knew I should have pinned them back-"

"On the contrary," I interrupted, "I think you look lovely, you shouldn't change a thing."

"Simon, stop it," she said blushing, truly embarrassed at my compliments, not coquettishly fishing for them. I frowned a little bit, she seemed very nervous, though I couldn't deny I probably was too, if for entirely different reasons. Whatever happened tonight, I was only determined to be there for her as much as she wanted or allowed.

"Let's go," I said, walking over to grab her coat and help her into it and heard a click, that she seemed to miss. I spared a glance at Grams who was hiding a camera behind her back now. How many pictures had she taken? At least Allison hadn't noticed. Grams winked at me then spoke up for Allison, "Have fun, dear, the twins will be well in hand."

Alice turned slightly and smiled, "I know you have them handled."

I offered my arm which she took tentatively and heard another telltale click as I opened the door.

Allison POV

Simon was being a gentleman tonight and I thanked him for it silently. I was extremely nervous for the entire ordeal as I'd been worried he might act differently tonight, but thus far he was being his usual accommodating self. Well, apart from when I'd first come downstairs. The way he'd looked at me was so different and new I'd wanted to turn around and go right back upstairs, and he'd complimented me so genuinely. But if I were to really process the look he'd given me I knew I could label it: desire. I prayed I was wrong, that was much too scary to contemplate. Simon did not desire me. I peeked at him again, looking dashing in his suit. It was gray and he wore a black vest underneath it, finishing the look off with a bow tie that matched my dress and his ever present thick framed glasses. I felt like I was going to prom, but it was a much more relaxed atmosphere, I found myself surprisingly feeling somewhat comfortable and decided to forget everything I'd just found myself contemplating.

We drove toward the city as Simon explained that they rented out the ballroom of this hotel every year. I mostly marveled at the city as we drove further in. There was a light sprinkle of snow coming down and the city was bustling as always. There were so many people, each with their own lives, it made me feel small, but strangely safe. I was among thousands; Eric was going to have a hell of a time tracking me down.

We pulled up to the hotel where the car was then handled by a valet, Simon got out and went around to the other side and opened my door before I could, offering his hand to help me out. I took it and marveled at the beautiful building, decorated in lights and made even more perfect by the light snowfall.

"Come on," he laughed at my awestruck look, "it's freezing out here, and I'm not the one in a dress!" I couldn't help but smile at that and followed him inside.

We were ushered to a beautiful ballroom that was filled with people sitting at tables milling around, even a few dancing. There was a band playing and people milling about, and I suddenly felt small in a completely different way.

Simon felt me hesitate and turned to glance back at me as I dropped my hold on his arm. "Alice you're okay," he assured me.

"I don't belong here, I-I just…look at them and look at me and – heck, I'm practically a child, what am I doing at this party?" I started rambling, my nerves building as I continued.

"You have as much right to be here as anyone else, Allison, you're no child. You need to relax. You look lovely and Kate and Grant want to meet you. Just be your wonderful, charming self and you will have absolutely no troubles," he said unperturbed, taking my hands in his, "Can you trust me?" he asked gently.

Talk about a loaded question. I did trust Simon in some aspects of my life, I trusted him as my coworker and I trusted him with the twins but how much had I trusted him alone as nothing more than Simon? I hadn't given him many chances to be fair, I never really saw him outside of the two former contexts. Was it that much of a chance though given how much I trusted him in the other areas of my life? "Yes, of course, I'm sorry, Simon, I didn't mean anything-"

"Hey, you don't need to apologize to me. You just need to stop selling yourself short." He held out his arm to me again and I tentatively smiled, inhaled deeply, and accepted.

Simon POV

"Simon! You made it," Kyle exclaimed, his face lighting up along with Chloe's who was standing next to him. "I was getting worried!"

"Oh my gosh, Allison, you look stunning!" Chloe gushed. "It's so good to see you again."

"Might I second that sentiment," Kyle added with a smile, acknowledging Allison as well.

"Thank you," Allison responded shyly, "This party looks amazing."

"Yes, well," Kyle shifted, "I'd love to find out for myself, I have to help greet for another thirty minutes or so though," he said pretending to pout.

"Oh please, I've been here this whole time! Stop being miserable," Chloe chided, "Allison you want to explore with me a little? Simon, you keep Christmas Cheer over here company for the last stretch."

I looked at Allison trying to get a read on her comfort level and she met my eyes a brief moment later. I suddenly realized she was taking my cue on whether she should go with Chloe or not. I dropped her arm and stepped toward Kyle, "Go ahead and find Grant and Kate. We'll steal away soon and catch up."

"Let's go," Chloe said, smiling at Allison and leading her away.

"Damn, Simon, are you sure that's the same girl I met before?" Kyle asked as we watched the two walk away.

"Yep," I said, unable to tear my eyes from her retreating form. "She is."

"She's beautiful," he said, almost questioningly. "Like she was cute and sweet and kind or whatever when we met her, but…wow."

"Don't let Chloe overhear you," I teased, "but yeah, I honestly didn't know she could look like this…I can't get the two images to combine."

She still seems pretty skittish."

"Yeah that's a work in progress. She's starting to loosen up with me though, tonight is actually helping a lot."

"You're welcome," he said elbowing he slightly in the side. "So what's your next move then? What's the goal tonight?"

"Goal? The goal is to get through tonight with her having a good time and not having a break down or an episode of intrusion."

"Seriously? No advances? No professions of love?" he said with a grin.

"She's soooo not ready for that," I cautioned.

"Well, you would know better than me," Kyle said backing off the subject.

"Thanks, I like to think that's usually the case," I teased. Kyle rolled his eyes at me. We stood for five minutes in which one person showed up. It felt like an eternity. I was anxious to get back to Allison. "Let's go, nobody's even showing up anymore," I finally said, dragging him away, though he really didn't put up much resistance. "Let's find the girls."

Allison POV

"So how are Eleanor and Solomon? I'm sure they're keeping you busy," Chloe asked as we walked.

"They're getting pretty big and definitely keep me on my toes. They've started crawling which is an adventure. Lots of people like to stop in and see them which has been good for business, so I guess I can't really complain," I said with a smile, starting to relax with Chloe.

"I'll have to do so as well then, I honestly can't imagine, you're absolutely amazing," she said sincerely.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think I could take care of a baby for a few hours, much less two full time. How do you do it?"

"Well, I'm not really alone, I mean, Grams and Simon have been such a help," I said quickly.

She did an actual double-take, " _Simon_ Simon? Like the one we just left back there Simon?" she asked half joking, half in true disbelief.

I couldn't help but giggle at her reaction, "Yes, that Simon, who else? Why? Is that really so hard to believe?"

"Just, Simon changing a diaper is a great picture," she said with a grin.

I laughed, "Well, he avoids that part best he can."

"Oh! There's Kate and Grant, I'll introduce you," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me behind her.

I found myself facing the two as Chloe introduced us. The girl, Kate, was the same height as me, which was to say, short, and had unruly red hair that curled in tight ringlets as well as a bold smattering of freckles to match. She'd tamed it fairly well into a low bun, though a few hairs escapes. Regardless of her wild hair, she was very well put together and looked amazing with an ice blue dress and pearl necklace. She and Chloe with her cream dress looked like a winter ad campaign. She also looked incredibly excitable. Grant on the other hand hand a more relaxed air about him. He had brown-ish blond hair in a longer fringe cut that would've matched my natural color and his glasses had thinner frames than Simon's that were only visible on the top. He also was in a suit though he'd take off his coat and was in a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled and pushed up to his elbows as well as an ice blue tie that matched Kate's dress.

"Omigosh I can't believe we're finally meeting you!" Kate squealed as she shook my hand. "Chloe and Kyle told us so much about you." I noticed the lack of Simon in that list, another tally on him keeping me from his friends. "And your dress looks amazing! Where did you get it?"

"I-I'm not sure, Simon and Chloe picked it out," I faltered, a little overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. Grant took this cue and held out his hand.

"Happy to make your acquaintance," Grant said shaking my hand, thankfully less vigorously than Kate.

"Same to you," I responded with a grateful smile, "I'm glad to have finally met Simon's other roommate."

"I'm sure we'll have you over at some point," he said with a grin, "or we'll all at least be over to the bookstore soon to have a meal. We've been staying out of your way what with the twins and all. How are they?"

"They're fine, thanks for asking," I said, feeling much more at ease; he had a calming presence about him. "So what's the story here? I've already heard Kyle and Chloe's," I asked the two.

They began to tell about how Grant had sat by Kate in a class at the beginning of the semester only to find out that it was the wrong classroom, and finished quickly as Simon showed up with Kyle behind him.

"Finally, everyone's here. Introductions have been made, it's perfect," Chloe said with a sigh. "Now can we go find a table and some food? I'm starving."

Kyle laughed as he walked over to her putting his arm around her waist and then kissing her temple, "Whatever you want, Chlo."

"I'm going to grab something to drink real quick," I said. Anticipating the next question from Simon, I preemptively answered, "I'll be fine, back in a few minutes."

I walked across the party to the bar, crowded with different people taking drinks and leaving. It was going to take me a bit to be served. I took a seat on the barstool wait for my chance to snag a Coke or Sprite. Of course, it wasn't that easy.

"Hey," I heard from next to me. It was a voice that I could tell from the start was going to be trouble. I couldn't remember whether it was better to ignore or be uninviting with unwanted attention, I chose the former. "Hey!" I heard a little louder and undeniably directed at me. I turned my head slowly to look at the guy sitting next to me. He was tall with shaggy blond hair and was holding a glass filled with what I presumed was a very strong drink.

"Hi," I responded shortly, deciding to move to plan B and redoubling my efforts to flag down a bartender.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked.

"Help in flagging down a bartender would be appreciated."

"Nah, I wanna get you a drink. How about a Long Island?"

"No, thank you." I said, quickly trying to close the conversation.

"A Margarita?"

"Look, it's an open bar, if I wanted it I would get it. Right now, I'm just trying to get a Sprite and get back to my friends. Thank you," I said with finality.

"I like your spunk," he said with a leering smile, it becoming more and more clear how drunk he was "and you're pretty hot too," he said blatantly staring at my chest. Screw getting my drink, I was getting heart palpations. I stood to leave but he put down his drink and reached across to lean on my chair, barring my exit. "Hey we were connecting. Let's talk. Get to know each other."

"No thank you. Please, move," I said weakly, as I began to succumb the pure fear coursing through my veins.

"Come on don't be like that," he said.

"I believe she just asked you move," I heard from behind me and felt a hand on my shoulder; Simon.

"Fuck off, it's none of your business. She's just playing hard to get," the man said, to Simon.

"She said no. Move," Simon's voice hardened.

"What are you, her boyfriend?" he said sarcastically, "Fuck off." He repeated.

I acted on impulse. I grabbed the drink with my free arm and threw it into the man's face. He reeled back immediately with a cry of pain at the alcohol in his eyes and I retreated with Simon as a few other guest gasped at the scene.

"Are you okay?" Simon asked, stopping us to sit on a couch immediately out of proximity to the scene. "I got worried when you were gone so long I didn't expect-" he stopped short as tears began to leak out. I couldn't help it, I felt so scared. He gently put his arm around me, pulling me in as I turned, trying not to cry into his shoulder. We sat for a few minutes as I pulled myself together, finally sitting up and swiping away the few rogue tears. The smudge of black that appeared on my hand reminding me that I was wearing makeup, I looked over at Simon, "Is my eyeliner everywhere?" I asked, trying to rein in any residual tears.

He carefully brushed his thumb across the side of my face by my eye, "You're fine now. I think that's the least of your worries."

I gave a watery smile, "Thank you."

"I should've just come with you. Man, what an asshole," he said, looking derisively toward the bar. "Are you sure you're okay? You were amazing throwing his drink in his face."

"I'll be fine; I just need to keep pushing through. The panic will settle. I feel surprisingly good considering. I've never been able to act on my fear like that before." Simon looked at me thoughtfully. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing, just an idea."

I decided not to ask, and stood instead, "Let's just get back to the group."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I need distraction now, let's just go do something with your friends, get away from here."

"Alright," he said standing as well.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

We moved to the dance floor after that. I sat for the first few watching the others including Simon goof off. Simon beckoned me over but I shook my head with a bit of a smile. He walked over smiling at me, "Is the lady's dance card full?" he teased.

"Hmm yes, I think this chair has claimed every single one! Better luck next time," I teased back and let out a small yelp of surprise when Simon took my hands and pulled me up out of the chair.

"The chair will have to be disappointed I guess," he continued with a grin as he shifted his hand to twirl me into a dip, earning him another yelp as I fell into his waiting arms.

"Simon, let me go," I complained but couldn't help smiling a little.

"I really don't think you want me to do that seeing as you would fall to the floor," he said making me let out a fairly un-ladylike snort which then made us both laugh. He did, though, take the hint and put me back on my feet. "Come on, Alice, it'd be a shame not to dance with such a nice dress and a dashing partner," he said, not letting up as he pretended to pout, though I could tell he was carefully gauging my every response to make sure he didn't overstep his bounds. Or was he? Why was I analyzing everything about him tonight? _Simon is your friend, and nothing more…_

"I don't even know how to dance!" I exclaimed, still smiling.

"Pffft, it's not a ball or anything, just follow my lead," Simon said, his hand moving to my hip while he held the other one out to the side.

"Simon? Is that you?" I heard from behind us.

We stopped before we even started as Simon let his outstretched arm drop but his other moved to my back, though I felt it tense as we turned to face the owner of the voice.

Simon POV

"Simon? Is that you?"

I stopped in my tracks at that voice. I recognized it immediately of course. I kept Allison at my side as we turned. "Valerie," I said brightly as I could, "It's been a while, how are you?"

Valerie looked much the same, long black hair with a sheen that would put a shampoo commercial to shame, and pale, clear skin to contrast her hair starkly. She wore a short, dark crimson dress and a diamond pendant that hung low into the daring v-neckline. Somehow she made it look classy, she tended to be able to do that with anything.

"Oh, I'm well, and yourself?"

"I'm doing wonderfully, thank you. What brings you here?"

She waved her hand dismissively, "I'm here with the Brunson's firm."

"The Brunson's firm? You don't mean you got an internship there do you?" I asked in shock.

"Nope," she said with a coy smile, "I got associate as soon as I receive my license."

"Wow," I said, at a true loss for words, Brunson's was the best law firm in town, and she was fresh out of law school. She always had her inside connections though. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said beaming and finally sparing a glance at Allison. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

I snapped out of it and immediately turned back to Allison, "My goodness, where are my manners? Valerie, this is Allison, Allison, Valerie."

Allison smiled and shook Val's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"And you," Valerie said, "Where did you two meet?"

I saw Allison give me a sideways glance of panic and quickly jumped in, "She's helping out at the bookstore," I supplied, my hand carefully rubbing her back, deciding in a split second to run with the ambiguity.

"I see," Val said, her disinterest in Allison tangible. "Well could I borrow you for a dance, Simon? For old time's sake?"

I looked over at Alice, she seemed very lost, "That would be fine, but give me one second, I have to escort my date back to our table," I said, my hand moving to the small of her back as I guided her away and back over to where the group's things sat, I leaned in as we arrived, "Go with it, I promise I'll explain later," I whispered to her, pulling back with a smile, seeing her blush. I quickly turned to rejoin Valerie.

"Shall we?" I said offering my hand. I kept her at arm's distance as we started to dance, but she managed to move in closer.

"Simon, what are you doing these days?" She asked, sounding amiable though I wasn't fooled.

"Medical school mostly, working at the bookstore a little as well," I replied.

"Medical school, I'd forgotten," she said, laughing prettily, "and apparently running around with college students," she said her voice lowering slightly, as she glanced again at Alice.

"Do you have a problem with Allison, Valerie?" I asked pointedly.

"Of course not! No, she's simply adorable. Whatever has she done to capture your attention, Simon?" she questioned innocently, but I could here the mocking hidden right below her tone. She spoke as though Allison were a small dog.

"Many things," I said lightly, but giving her a look that told her I'd heard her disparaging undertone and wasn't a fan. "I'm sure you didn't pull me aside to talk about Alice though."

She tsked slightly, "Simon, you've become very direct, I think I like it though."

I frowned, "What is this about, Valerie?"

She sighed dramatically, "Can't I just have a dance with my ex-boyfriend in peace?"

"If that's all you want then, yes."

"Well it's not," she said with a teasing smile before suddenly leaning in to kiss me which I quickly evaded.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I want you back, Simon," she said with a sultry smile, unfazed by my rejection.

"Are you drunk, Valerie?" I asked in astonishment.

"Perfect sober, Simon. Why do you ask?"

"You're acting very brazen," I said.

She shrugged, "I've learned you have to go out and take what you want sometimes, and I still want you. And I'm sure you'd be fine with partaking of everything I have to offer," she insinuated, pressing herself into me. "Look, I have the position and connections to do you a lot of good. Not to mention that as a lawyer and doctor we'd be an unstoppable pair."

We'd stopped dancing at this point as she stepped back and pulled me over toward the bar. I made eye contact with Allison and jerked my head pleading her to follow. She thankfully took the hint and started to trail us, keeping her distance. Val quickly got a martini and took a sip and before slipping the stem between her fingers, holding the glass out to the side as she rested her elbow on her other arm. "So?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I don't know what you expect from me, Val, I'm obviously here with Allison."

"Oh, you can't seriously tell me you prefer that mousy little thing?" she said with disparaging laughter.

"I seriously can and do," I retorted tersely.

She sipped her martini again looking unfazed. "Do you now? What could it be? She must be at least four years your junior so she can't be doing any favors to you intellectually, she was completely passive during our entire introduction and even now is watching from afar so it can't be her strong personality or passion for you, she's no showstopper so it can't be that she's eye-candy, and to top it all off, she looks to be about as sexually exciting as a nun." She said blithely.

I was past annoyed at this point, "On the contrary, she makes for engaging conversation and is one of the wittiest people I've met," I said sharply, "She is also one of the strongest people I know, with a personality I wish I could replicate for her caring and patient nature which make her all the more beautiful, though her physical attributes are just as lovely. And finally, the fact that you even feel you have to stoop as low to attack her sexuality says much more about you than it does her. Her body and who she may or may not sleep with are her business and hers alone," I finished, barely containing my rage when I suddenly felt a hand slip into to crook of my arm. Allison had snuck up next to me at some point during my speech. _How much did she hear?_ Valerie looked a bit taken aback at my rebuttal and Allison's sudden appearance. "Well it's been lovely catching up with you, Valerie, but I believe I promised this lady to dance so if you'll excuse us," I said pulling Allison in a bit closer and having us both exit quickly to rejoin the group.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Who does that girl think she is?!" Kate asked in an outrage as we returned, "Dances with you and tries to take you right in front of your date."

"She's crazy, can't believe you dated her as long as you did," Kyle said shaking his head.

I waved it off, "Let it go guys, it's over, thank god." I turned my attention to Allison, "So that dance," I said with a smile, taking her hand in mine and letting my other arm wrap around her waist. She gave a distant smile but complied, following my lead. "Sorry for all of that by the way, you handled yourself well."

She shrugged, "Who was she?" she asked curiously.

"Valerie Michaels, an ex from my early college days. We were pretty serious for a while."

"What made it end?" she asked, "not that you have to tell me or anything," she quickly backtracked but I waved it off.

"It's fine, I just realized how much she liked to undermine everything. It was subtle but she was never satisfied or genuine. She always had to cut things down so she comes out as the best. She was kinda demanding too," I said with distaste.

"She was…beautiful," she said.

"Beautiful shell, empty vessel," I retorted, "I like people with substance."

We danced in silence for a while, I didn't mind too much, if Alice was content in my arms it was a victory.

"Did… did you mean it?" she finally asked quietly, "What you said to her?"

"Well of course not, it was not lovely to catch up with her, it was awful," I said.

"No, I meant… nevermind."

We continued to dance. "You do that a lot." I finally said.

"What?"

"Start questions you're too scared to finish. You can ask me anything, Allison. Truly."

Allison POV

My head was still reeling from all the information I'd taken in. I'd heard Valerie's accusations as I'd crept closer and felt myself shrinking back in anticipation of Simon's response. I expected anger at her unkind words but what I hadn't expected was for Simon to come to my defense, and certainly not with such lovely words. I couldn't dare to hope could I? He just wanted to cut Valerie down, it didn't have to mean anything. I couldn't let myself believe anything. Val was right, there was no reason for him to think anything of me. He was defending me as a friend would.

I was suddenly getting more and more conscious of how close he was. His hand had moved from my hip to wrap around my waist. I hadn't been this close to Simon since…well, since my first day here. I felt blood rush to my face at the thought.

"You okay?" he asked, obviously seeing my furious blush.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, looking down at our feet, "Think I'm getting a little tired of dancing."

"Okay, we can head back to the group," Simon stated, twirling me in one last time so that my eyes met his, looking at me in that same way he had at the bookstore. I felt paralyzed in a way I couldn't quite put my finger on. Why was he looking at me like that? _Is he going to kiss me? Why would he do that?_ He dropped his arms belatedly when the last chord faded and we walked back to the table where the others were also congregating, the strange moment evaporating and seemingly forgotten.

"Kate and I are going to head out, it's getting pretty late," Grant stated, taking Kate's hand. "Allison, it was lovely to meet you. I hope to see you around."

"Yes! Don't be a stranger," Kate said, stepping forward and giving me a quick hug. "Simon, don't you dare let her stay away for another three months."

"I won't," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"It was lovely to meet you guys," I said with a smile and then looked at Simon to see if we could take the same cue. I was getting tired, and I didn't want to leave Grams with the twins for too long. Thankfully he read my mind.

"We're probably going to take off too. Say thank you to your parents for us, Kyle," he said.

The drive back was quiet, but it was a comfortable sort of quiet; contented.

"Did you have any fun? What a mess of a night this turned into," Simon asked as we got closer to the bookstore.

I looked over and though it was dark I could see concern on his face from the passing street lights. "I did, don't worry."

He looked relieved and glanced over at me as we pulled up to the bookstore. "Do you want to come to New Year's too? It's just our apartment and some other friends. Much less formal."

"I'd like that," I said with a smile.


	24. Chapter 24

ISFNE Chapter 24

Allison POV

Christmas had passed without much excitement aside from it being Ellie and Solomon's first. Gifts had practically all been given what with Simon's gift of a dress and Gram's allowing me to pick out any two books for my own downstairs and ordering a few for the twins. Simon had said no gift besides wearing the dress and accompanying him, but I felt in debt, which I couldn't stand. So, I'd gotten him a sweater and Grams an electric blanket that they'd open together with a card in both that simply said, "For the next time you have to save someone from hypothermia." I was rather proud of my idea. Thoughtful, thankful, yet lighthearted. They appreciated them too but assured me they weren't making a habit of it. All gifts given, I was about to stand up and grab Ellie off the floor to join her brother, who had tapped out early, when Simon spoke up, "There's one more gift we have for you."

"No, no more gifts! You both have been amazingly generous and I can't in any way ever repay you for all of it," I stated.

"I knew you'd react this way," Simon said holding out his hands in defense, "but this was too good and too important to not give you, so Grams and I are doing so together," he said handing me a card that was obviously from a business. I looked inside and read under my breath.

"Thank you so much for registering for our self defense course, we host classes from four to five Monday, Wednesday - no, no you can't have truly…" I trailed off. "I... thank you both for the concern but I don't think I can accept this; I don't think I could do that sort of class."

"Why not?" Grams, asked kindly.

"Because I'm going to be reliving my nightmares, and I don't know what that will entail."

Simon moved to sit down on the floor next to me, picking up Ellie and placing her on his lap, "I think it will be quite therapeutic actually. Maybe a little scary at first but they put you in controlled, harmless situations to allow you to act, to teach you how you act if those situations were real."

"It's all very professional and very much at your own pace. You decide how much you learn, how quickly you move to re-enactments. You've got twelve sessions at least to try out. So try it out." Grams chimed in.

"What if I succumb to another intrusion episode? What if I can't react and instead relive things just as helpless as I was the first time around?"

"When are you going to stop doubting yourself?" Simon asked, not releasing my gaze. "I wish you could have seen yourself at the Christmas party the moment you threw that guy's drink in his face, because there was a spark. There was fire in you that, for the first time, was finding an outlet. And even though it scared the crap out of you, I think you'd be lying if you said you didn't have a sense of satisfaction about the whole thing. You are strong, Allison. Start believing it yourself and who knows what you'll accomplish."

There was a small pause as I let it sink in and then slowly nodded, "Okay, okay, I…I'll go. You're right. How long have you been preparing that speech?"

He laughed, "Was it really that rehearsed?" he asked rhetorically.

"So that's what you thought of at the party."

He put his hands up and shrugged, "Guilty as charged," he said teasingly just as Ellie let out a big yawn, "My goodness, I think that's the cue to join your brother upstairs!" he said picking her up to snuggle into his chest as he brought her upstairs.

"Thank you," I said to Grams as well.

"Simon's idea, but a valid one for certain," she said with a smile. "I hope it does you good."

Simon POV

I picked Allison up later that week for New Years Eve. I had realized belatedly all the conclusions she could jump to if she worried over it like the Christmas party, but she seemed much more relaxed as she came to meet me out at the car. The twins, once again, were set up with Grams, an actual saint for doing so twice in such a sort time period, although she would be hosting festivities for people in the neighborhood who would gladly coo over and care for the twins as well, so Allison felt much less guilty.

She was back to the Allison I knew, though she had dressed up slightly better than usual. The sweater and jeans she wore fit her nicely, making me briefly remember the dress once again, a memory that came back to me at seemingly every moment. Her hair was let down from it's usual messy ponytail, she must have colored it recently because her roots were no lighter than the rest of her hair. She'd thrown on her pea coat and some boots as well. God, why did she look cute in everything?

We drove in relative silence, though it was comfortable. We finally arrived at the apartment, parked, and began hiking up the stairs. The party was already going when we walked in. I saw faces I recognized as my apartment mates' friends or friends of Chloe and Kate; I hadn't invited anyone aside from Allison because the others always invited so many people that there was no need. I usually only brought one or two people in.

"AY! Simon's here with Allison!" Kate called out when we entered.

"My room's been turned in the coat room right there," I pointed, as we walked over to open the door. There was already a tower of coats haphazardly scattered on the floor and bed so, giving Alice a shrug, I unceremoniously tossed her jacket into the heap on the bed. She laughed a little as I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. "Sorry, that's just how it goes apparently. Anyways, feel free to mingle, I'm going to go say hi to a couple people but you don't have to stick with me," I said to Alice.

"Okay," she said with a small smile, "I'm going to grab some food and be social."

Allison POV

I was grateful for Simon's out as we arrived. I casually began to mill through the crowd and stopped to watch a few people playing MarioKart. They finished up a lap and Yoshi took the lead.

"They're going to do Rainbow Road next so it's gonna get really interesting," I heard from beside me.

I turned to find a guy standing by me. He was probably a little taller than Simon and had shaggy brown hair and a close cut beard and was holding a can of beer. Sure enough, I looked back to the screen and saw them gearing up for Rainbow Road. "How did you know that?" I asked, not really engaging but not wanting to be rude as much as my sirens were blaring from my encounter with the guy at the bar.

He shrugged, "I know the girl playing Yoshi, and she loves making her friends suffer through that course at least once every game," he said with a smile, he then stuck out his hand, "I don't think I've met you yet, I'm Colin."

I contemplated for a millisecond and decided he seemed genuinely friendly. I shook his hand, "Allison."

"Who did you come with?"

"My friend Simon invited me."

"Simon Timmons?" he asked.

He had all of my attention now, "Yes, actually, you know him?"

"I grew up locally with him. Good guy, how'd you meet him?"

I didn't feel like conversing too long with this guy, "School," I lied quickly and immediately moved to a new question, "So you'd know Grams as well then?"

"Yeah, Eleanor, she's great. I still remember when Simon moved in with her. Closest living relation and all that. I remember being a little jealous cuz I wanted to live with my grandma," he joked, "Thought it was going to be all sweets and toys like when I got to visit my grandparents."

I smiled and let a laugh escape at that but found the comment slightly troubling as I realized I'd never really thought through Grams and Simon's relationship. Apparently there was backstory. "Well, I'm going to grab something to drink but it was nice to meet you, Colin. Maybe you'll bump into Simon?"

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Allison, I'm going to find you later," he responded with a wink. Confused, but not caring enough to let it bother me, I waved and walked away.

I went over to grab some punch when I heard a familiar voice pipe up, "I wouldn't go for that, I'm pretty sure someone already spiked it." I looked up, meeting a familiar set of frames.

Simon POV

"So what did you have to do to get here to come tonight? Dabble in the dark arts? Sell your soul? Mind control?"

I gave a sarcastic laugh, "Very funny, Chloe, but to your point, I'm not really sure. She just agreed."

"Mmm I love it, she might just be thawing toward you, and a kiss at midnight to seal the deal. Si, you are going to sweep her right off her feet, tonight is the night."

"That's basically the exact opposite of the plan. No kiss."

"What?! Simon! You HAVE to. She came to a New Year's party with you. The implications!"

"She barely thought through the invitation and there were absolutely no nerves on the way here. In fact, I should probably be keeping a better eye on her in case she freaks."

"Why are you guys hanging in the kitchen? Chlo, I've been looking for you everywhere!" Kyle said, joining us.

"Hey, babe," she said, threading her arm through his, "We're just discussing Allison's possibly imminent breakdown."

"Great party topic," Kyle deadpanned. "Maybe you should check on her?"

"I was just about to go do that," Chloe said, giving Kyle a quick peck on the cheek and then diving back into the crowd.

"So is this just normal party jitters or should I be worried?" Kyle asked.

"I'm sure everything's fine but I'd appreciate it if your girlfriend would just leave the whole situation with Allison be for a night," I said tiredly.

"Really," he said in surprise, "Well, this might surprise you, but I think she might have the right idea. You're moving too slow."

"Okay, hold up. Have I not made clear how it could damage irreparably the foundation of trust I'm trying to build if I move too fast?" I asked in exasperation.

Kyle rolled his eyes, "Dude. I think at this point you're putting off the inevitable. Why stay in limbo?"

"It's not like that, Kyle," I tried to explain.

"We can get The Game started and find out for sure," Kyle suggested, only half-teasing.

"Oh my god, that is literally the worst idea you've had yet."

"Oh, please, it'd give you the perfect setup."

"We are NOT playing The Game. I'm almost sorry I ever invented it," I said, trailing off as Chloe came pushing through the crowd with a cup in hand.

"What're we talking about here?" she asked, rejoining us.

"Kyle's trying to convince me to revive The Game."

"Oh my gosh, that game was amazing, Simon. Probably your biggest undergrad achievement," Chloe said, also half-serious.

"Thanks, it's not happening," I said, inviting no discussion. Chloe rolled her eyes. "Status update would be nice?" I prompted.

"Okay, good news, Allison's in the living room, bad news, she got scoped out by Colin Finch who I heard bragging about her as his new first pick for midnight. Other good news, she's sitting with Grant now, bad news, she seems pretty upset and agitated so I think she's realizing something with the whole Colin deal," she reported dutifully.

Kyle and Chloe gave a pointed glance as I frowned at this new intel regarding Colin. He was not exactly on my good list, and certainly not if he was going to set Alice off by trying to kiss her at midnight. _Especially when it should be me_ , a small part of me whispered but I pushed it away. "Okay, fine, both of you. I'm going to find Allison at midnight if only to shield her from any scavengers like Colin. Happy?"

"Sure, Simon," Chloe said, rolling her eyes and taking a sip from the cup of punch, which immediately made her pull a face, "in other news, someone definitely spiked the punch."

Allison POV

"Grant! Thanks, I'll steer clear then," I said with a smile.

"How are you?" he asked, "Long time no see."

"I'm good, it's been a lovely holiday season. Yourself?"

"Good, real good. How are the twins?"

"You know, crawling, babbling, spitting up on me at the most inopportune moments," I joked, "but they're good. Grams is amazing for putting up with them so much."

"Oh, please, Grams loves having kids around again. She's going to kill Simon if he doesn't give her great-grandkids to spoil," he said with a smile. I laughed and lit up as I saw a couch open up in the living room. I was about to say something but Grant followed my gaze, "You better move quick," he said. I looked at him in confusion. "You gotta grab it the moment it opens up or it disappears for the rest of the night; speaking from experience," he said with a smile. "Do you mind if I sit with you for a bit? Kate's always been a lot more of a social butterfly than me and I'm going to stay out of her way for a while," he explained, "I assume you wanted to sit but if not that's fine too."

"No, no, let's grab it while we can," I said, practically running over to it with Grant close behind. "Are you serious about the whole grabbing it while you can."

We both sat down quickly, "You would not believe how long I had to stand hoping for a spot after seeing one mere seconds before during last year's party," he stated with mock gravity.

I started laughing at the entire situation. "You should be allowed sit wherever, it's your apartment, doesn't that equal like, permanent dibs?"

"Oh try tell that to the couple sitting on the chair over there, 'yes, excuse me, I live here and would prefer you not dry hump on our furniture thanks,'" he said. I followed his nod and indeed a couple was already sloppily making out with each, obviously pretty drunk already. "You'd think they'd wait for an hour," he said with a bit of disgust.

"What do mean?" I asked.

"I mean it's like 11, it's not that long," he said with a laugh.

Not that long…why was I getting a strange feeling. And then suddenly everything clicked. I was so dumb. It was New Year's Eve. Everything made sense. Why there were so many people in pairs throughout the apartment, why the couple was making a scene, why Colin had struck up a conversation with me. Everyone was frantically pairing off to ring in the New Year with someone. Someone they'd kiss... and maybe more by the looks of some the couples around me. I was so sooooo stupid. A floodgate of anxiety was opened as worrisome possibilities and questions started racing through my mind, almost too quickly to even process.

"Allison, are you alright?" Grant asked in concern.

I must have been deathly pale. "I have to leave."

"Allison, what's wro-"

"I have to leave right now, oh my gosh," I restated, turning frantic as I went to stand up, Grant caught my arm though.

"Hey, hey, slow down there. Sit," he said, speaking calmly despite the din of the other partygoers. I surprisingly listened to him. "Breathe."

I took a deep breath trying to collect myself, "Grant," I started, my voice terse with the effort it took to keep it steady, "I'm sorry, it's been lovely talking with you but I really really need to leave."

"Talk to me, Allison, can you tell me why?" he asked patiently, letting go of my arm.

"Why do you need a reason?" I asked, "I want- I need to leave."

"Allison, I know you barely know me, but you can talk to me, okay? But first, I want you to sit her and just breathe. Trust me, I'm in school right now to become a psychiatrist so I can help people like you."

I took in a few deep breaths and slowly let them out. "Thank you, Grant. I-I think that's really admirable of you. But I really just…I'm sorry, this is absolutely pathetic," I said quietly.

"No, it's not," he said reassuringly, "Take a minute." He let me collect myself further sitting with me in silence for what felt like an eternity before he posed a question. "Can you please tell me what I've said to upset you?"

I took in an unsteady breath, "You didn't really say anything I just…I just…it's New Year Eve."

"Yes?" he responded patiently, obviously still confused.

"I just, I hadn't put together the pieces that I'd been invited to a New Year's party."

"Which is significant because...?"

I let out a bark of derisive laughter. "I'm terrified, Grant, I'm terrified of possibilities that haven't even arisen and that I can easily avoid. For goodness sake, the mere idea of what New Year's Eve entails has me running for the hills."

I watched his face carefully and suddenly saw understanding dawn. His gaze turned analytical and I could practically see the gears turning in his mind, sifting through the information I'd given him and the conclusions he was drawing from it. His scrutiny became uncomfortable as I began to feel he was seeing much further into my psyche than I was willing to delve.

"I see," he said slowly and somewhat enigmatically. He seemed to be weighing his next words.

"Do you?" I asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of my tone.

"I do," he said meeting my eyes steadily, "I wonder if you do though."

"To what could you possibly be referring?" I asked, a disbelieving laugh leaving me as I looked up at the ceiling.

"Why does Simon scare you so much, Allison?"

"What?" I asked in absolute surprise, my gaze snapping to meet his.

"Why are you afraid of Simon?" he rephrased evenly.

"I'm- I'm not scared of Simon, that's absolutely ridiculous," I said dismissively, hysterical laugher bubbling out of me.

"Then why are you so agitated right now?" he continued to pry, pushing me toward revelations I didn't want to have.

"Because of Colin, he's going to find me for midnight," I said…it wasn't a total lie. He looked like he was about to say more before the music in the background was suddenly interrupted by an alarm on the phone. "Fifteen minutes!" a voice called out.

"Well, that's my cue to go find Kate," Grant said standing up, "it was lovely to talk with you, I'm sorry you ended up so upset, but I hope you won't hold it against me," he said gently.

"I'll see you around," I said quietly, looking down at my hands.

"You're not broken, Allison. You just need to heal," he said wisely, "and sometimes in order to heal you have to hurt first. Don't shy away from that pain."

And suddenly he was gone. I looked at the clock; a little more than ten minutes. I rationalized quickly. Simon wouldn't. He wasn't. There was absolutely nothing there; he was my friend. I just had to stay away from Colin. I refused to entertain any other possibilities, but how was I going to do this?

I took in a deep breath and scanned the party looking for any familiar faces. I saw Colin chatting with a few guys near the entrance to the living room, it would be hard to sneak past him until he moved, although I could move opposite him without attracting his attention, though I would have to watch for rogues. Five minutes. I left the couch and continued to scan. I didn't see any of the hosts which meant they were likely in the kitchen/dining room area, the only other open parts in the apartment. Then inspiration struck: the bathroom. As long as I could get in and stay for a little while, Colin would find someone else.

Simon POV

I couldn't find her anywhere. She'd left the couch and I couldn't pick her out of the crowd in the apartment. God, we were probably breaking fire code. I continued to wander through the crowd. I only had four minutes. _I'm not going to kiss her, it will ruin everything,_ I argued with myself _. Or will it finally make things clear_ , another part argued back. Why did Kyle have to plant doubt in my mind?

Allison POV

The bathroom was past the living room entry where Colin was standing and I was relieved when he finally started roaming, obviously looking for me, or at least someone. Three minutes. I started slowly making my way to the doorway weaving through couples who were chattering excitedly.

Simon POV

I caught a brief glance of her, she was in the room, but she was quickly lost once again in the crowd…as if she were avoiding someone. I looked toward the opposite end of the room and spotted Colin who started toward the doorway. I nonchalantly went to cut him off, knowing he'd probably caught sight of Alice. I checked my watch: less than two minutes. _What am I doing? What is the plan? Kiss her! I'm not going to kiss her! It's New Year's Eve, you've been holding onto this for too long; just do it. DON'T DO IT._ My thoughts warred. "You are _so_ overthinking this," I said under my breath.

Allison POV

Colin caught sight of me at the doorway, I had to pretend to not be terrified as he quickly started toward me, obviously a little tipsy. I ducked away back into the crowd and ran straight into Simon as people started counting down.

"Simon," I said breathlessly, one of his hands coming to rest on my shoulder, the other suddenly at my waist. I peeked over my shoulder and saw Colin looking disgruntled as he caught sight of us and turned away. A wave of relief crashed over me as I distantly heard the count down continue with more fervor. I smiled and looked back at Simon, but froze the moment I met his eyes. The next thing I knew, his arm had wrapped further around my waist as he pulled me in and let his lips land softly on mine.


	25. Chapter 25

ISFNE Chapter 25

Simon POV

I don't know what possessed me to do it. I wasn't going to when I found her, but in the moment she'd just seemed so perfect. She'd looked so relieved to be in my arms and not Colin's and the smile she'd given me had snapped my last thread of self-denial. My hand at her hip had carefully wound behind her back, pulling her closer, and before my brain really caught up with my body, my lips were on hers. Her lips parted slightly as I kissed her and for a second she was kissing me back just as softly – which was my cue to immediately stop kissing her, as much as it went against my every instinct. I carefully pulled away, seeing with a bit of satisfaction that she was not looking at me with fear, but pure surprise as she unknowingly followed me a few inches as I drew back. It had been short and sweet but it was the best kiss I'd ever been lucky enough to have and I carefully logged the moment away with the dress right behind it. "Happy New Year," I said, knowing only she could hear me through the mess of people singing "Auld Lang Synge". I gently pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear and then let my arm drop, stepping back to put some space between us. "We should get going before all these people's rides show up and trap my car here."

She nodded slowly and I took her hand as we walked toward my room so she could grab her coat, which she accepted with a small 'thank you'.

The car ride was silent, but it quickly became clear it was not the comfortable silence we'd had so many times, instead it was nervous and tense. We finally arrived at the bookstore and she wished me a hasty goodnight before practically running to the door before I could respond. That's when the sinking feeling set in. I was getting the distinct impression I'd made a mistake. Alice had run away.

Grams POV

Allison came in hurriedly, face flushed. We were just winding the party down as people gathered their things and greeted her, asking all manner of things about her and the twins. She seemed agitated and answered a few of their prying questions before excusing herself and making her way over to me. "Did the twins behave?"

"Of course, hon, they were fine, they went to bed a while ago. Are you alright? You seem frazzled."

"I'm fine," she said a little too quickly, "I'm going to go to bed, thanks so much for watching the twins."

"It's fine. I'm happy to do so. Are you sure you're okay?" I asked again in concern.

"I'm fine," she restated shortly. "Goodnight, Grams." She said before quickly retreating upstairs.

Something was definitely wrong. Though it was her call to tell me, maybe Simon would have some insight tomorrow during his shift with me.

Allison POV

What was happening. _Simon just kissed you. Simon just KISSED you, Faith_ , my thoughts blared. I quickly shut them down, I couldn't risk Eric picking up on them. I'd been ready for the possibility and then immediately dismissed it only to have it hit me out of left field. And what a kiss it was.

I'd suffered many kinds of kisses from Eric but Simon's was something strange and new. It was gentle, it didn't seek to elicit a response of any sort or take anything. It was a kiss with no ulterior motives and it scared the living daylights out of me. He released me quickly and I stood dumbstruck in the midst of the party.

"Happy New Year," he said, pushing a stray piece of hair behind my ear before finally putting some distance between us. "We should get going before all these people's rides show up and trap my car here," he said immediately afterward. I nodded somehow, my mind still short-circuiting as he took my hand and we started toward the exit, stopping at the first bedroom where he'd thrown my coat which Simon retrieved. I managed to get out a 'thank you' but was unable to look him in the eye.

The car ride back was even worse. The silence stretched so thin I was sure it would break, but I refused to open discussion. Nope, I was shut down and I didn't want Simon to say anything either. The moment we arrived at the bookstore I threw back a 'goodnight' before practically running inside before Simon could have any chance to breach the subject.

I was, of course, not home free yet. I was greeted with what felt like a battery of questions as I entered Grams' party with the neighbors and quickly dismissed as many of them as possible, including Grams' prying. I had to be alone. I finally made it to my room and leaned against the closed door in relief and carefully reached up to touch my lips, feeling disbelief. It stung. It stung that that was what Simon had turned out to be after everything. Why had he done it? And why had I liked it? It cut much deeper than I ever wanted it too and I felt a tear leak out of the corner of my eye. After all this time, and he's finally tipped his hand. He was just like - I didn't finish the thought, it was too painful. Why was everything so wrong? Why did it all hurt so much?

 _You're not broken, Allison. You just need to heal. And sometimes in order to heal, you have to hurt first_. Grant's words came back to me. Is this the kind of pain he meant? It hurt too much. This couldn't be healing, it felt more like I was breaking apart. _Don't shy away from that pain._ I smiled thinly; shy away, I was turning tail and running. I couldn't do this; I couldn't deal with this. I wasn't going to. I could only bury it, just like I did with everything else. It was the only way I knew to cope.

Chloe POV

Simon returned much later than anticipated, quietly coming in the door as we were cleaning up.

"God, Simon, you took forever! We were getting scared something had happened with all the drunks that could be on the road," Kyle said with concern.

"I'm sorry, I'm fine…just, needed a little time," he responded, sounding far away. He sat down heavily on the couch and picked up an unopened beer in front of him, using a nearby bottle opener to pop off the top and taking a large swig.

"Um…are you sure you're okay?" Kate asked timidly, throwing a few bottles in the recycle.

"Oh, everything's good, I've just ruined…everything," he said, taking another gulp.

That caught our attention. We slowly finished throwing away or recycling what was in our hands and crept nearer.

"Simon? Did something happen that we didn't see?" I asked carefully. "I thought you found Allison? Didn't you just take her home?"

"I kissed her," He said quietly, hanging his head, his hands falling despondently between his legs.

We froze in absolute shock, not knowing what to even say and scared that we'd all say things at once. Kyle gave me a look that pleaded for help. I raised my eyebrows at him and gave him a helpless look, what was I supposed to do?! I wasn't cut out for this. I looked to Kate whose gaze screamed 'DON'T LOOK AT ME, I'll just make it worse somehow!' Which made all of us slowly turn to Grant. He looked surprised for a second, then annoyed but conceded with a curt nod.

"What happened, Simon?" he asked calmly.

"She ran away," he mourned, "I don't understand, she kissed me back."

Grant went to sit on the chair by Simon, "Walk me through everything, Si, what happened?" he repeated taking off and cleaning his glasses.

"She was trying to avoid Colin and I was trying to shield her. She turned to bolt away from him and she ran straight into me," he recounted. "And I don't know what happened exactly, I was holding her and she smiled at me…and suddenly I was kissing her and she was kissing me back," he paused, "and everything was perfect," He said his voice softening as he continued, "And then she let me take her back, not that she had a lot of choice, but she ran into the bookstore with barely a 'goodnight' thrown over her shoulder. And I saw her face in the street light as she did," he took another long sip, "she's terrified of me again. I've ruined absolutely everything."

We stood in silence, none of us knowing what to say.

"Here's your proof that I knew what I was doing when I said I wouldn't," he said, finishing off the bottle at an alarming pace.

"Si, I don't know what to say," I said in a small voice.

"Nothing, there's nothing to be said except that Simon Timmons is a failure," he said, "who just betrayed the trust of the girl he's been trying to befriend for six months."

"Si, I think that's a little much, she's probably just conflicted," I said.

"Yes, you did say she kissed you back," Kate pointed out.

"Yeah see that's good!" I said with over-emphasized cheer, grinning at all of them. Grant looked away tellingly.

"I'm going to bed," Simon announced, "I'll cleanup the rest tomorrow by myself since I was gone so long," he said, closing his door before we could possibly protest.

The group began to disperse but I quickly cleared my throat to bring their attention back. "We have to do something."

"What the hell can we do?" Kyle asked, disheartened. I could feel it throughout the group.

"Guys, we may not have known Allison long, but I think we all agree we want to keep her around. She's kind, she's fun, and I'm sure you as well as I have seen how they look at each other."

"Allison does not look at Simon the way he looks at her, Chloe," Grant debated.

"Fine," I said, "You're right, it's not the same, but she does look at him differently. She's still guarded, but she doesn't look at him with the same fear she does most guys. She's uncertain, and I think that's as good as she gets without much pushing, which Simon has been so unwilling to do."

"He pushed her tonight, that didn't seem to work out well," Grant pointed out.

"She kissed him back," Kate restated, "That's a sign if anything!"

Grant hesitated, so I knew something big was coming. "Oh, no," Kyle said quietly, "What are you about to say."

"It could be a reflex that she's learned. Abuse can lead to self-preservation tactics. Compliance usually being one of them…" he trailed off with a wince.

"Well fuck," Kyle said.

"Yeah," Grant responded.

"You know what," I spoke up after a stale silence, "No. I refuse to believe that. And you know what? I think we need to force a confrontation."

"Things will work out. We can't push them," Grant reasoned.

"Grant have you even met your roommate? Simon is going to retreat like a kicked puppy and I'm willing to bet Allison will under no circumstance approach him either."

"Fine," Grant conceded, "but what concerns me is what the fallout could be. If we force confrontation she could have a breakdown," Grant reasoned.

"And who has best handled her past breakdowns who would be present?" I countered.

"What if they refuse to talk to each other?" Kate asked nervously.

I was momentarily stumped but then I had the most wonderful, awful idea. "Ooh," I said quietly to myself, almost scared to say it aloud it was so perfect and yet terrible at the same time.

"Chlo?" Kate prompted.

"We set the parameters so they have to…" I said more to myself than everyone else.

"Chloe, what's your idea, I'm almost scared to ask," Grant said, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"We're going to resurrect our favorite undergraduate party favor," I said calmly.

"WHAT," they all practically said in unison.

"No, you can't possibly mean…" Kyle said, "I was kidding earlier."

"I do and I know, but I think you see it's merits." I said solemnly, "We're going to have to tread carefully but I think I have an idea on how to make it work out," I promised. "We're bringing back The Game."


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: hello lovely readers! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter and this one as well. I thought you should all know how happy it makes me that you guys are so conflicted with this whole Simon drama because I WAS TOO. Simon wasn't originally that much of a player in the story until I realized if I was going to get to a certain plot point I'd planned, I would need a process for it to make sense with Faith's set character. (ooo the anticipation is killing you I know) ;). Anyways, Hope you're enjoying. Things are going to HAPPEN in the next few chapters. like...HAPPEN HAPPEN. So get pumped. K love you all. Thank you again. Go ahead and make my day by leaving a review :)

ISFNE Chapter 26

Grams POV

Allison was sick the next few days and had to miss her shifts. I found it telling that Simon had called just as I found out and after telling him my predicament had gladly picked up Allison's shifts and said he didn't remember why he'd called when I brought it back to ask. I was almost positive he was going to pass off the shifts he shared with Allison somehow, but I had no proof, Allison did seem sick, Simon could forget things, it could all be coincidence. I tried to dig when I worked with Simon but he wouldn't give me much but was not outright enough as to deny answering a question. It was altogether incredibly frustrating. They'd been getting along, they'd been enjoying each other's company, they'd looked so cute together. So what could have gone wrong? I let it lie though, I knew I'd interfered enough.

Allison POV

It'd been surprisingly easy to put off a confrontation with Simon, in fact, he seemed about as keen on it as I did. It worked for two weeks straight, I didn't see Simon at all, though he still stopped by the bookstore. We somehow continued to avoid each other for a month before we began enduring the most awkward shifts together. I distracted myself by throwing every attention on the twins.

They were growing like weeds. Ellie's hair had turned lighter and was looking very much like my natural color. She would likely grow to be my spitting image except for her eyes. Her eyes were a piercing green, very clearly Eric's. Solomon, on the other hand, contrasted Ellie in a way that was uncanny. Though he was the younger of the two he was the leader; Ellie took her cues from him. He had inherited his father's black hair and and though he looked very much like Eric, it was softened by his eyes; violet just like mine. They were getting more mobile by the day which gave me plenty to be distracted by. And though Simon was still willing to help with them, our conversations were always stinted and usually quite hasty. I couldn't very well do without his help though, Ellie and Solomon were too much to handle alone.

The bells on the door jingled as it opened and I looked up from playing with Solomon and Ellie to see Mr. Davenport coming in the door.

"Hey! It's been so long since I last saw you here! We finally replenished our poetry section so I'm sure you'll enjoy perusing that," I called out, standing up with Solomon on my hip.

"Allison! You look well. As does Solomon here," he said, a smile gracing his pale complexion. Mr. Davenport had been somewhat of a regular a month or so ago, always coming in to look over our selection. He was a mild-mannered and polite sort, maybe in his sixties or seventies, not too tall, and well-dressed no matter the day. His clothes, though always impeccable, were quite old-fashioned, but he was sweet and I'd chatted with him often about older classics. He was familiar with all sorts of books and made for great conversation, seeming to have read any and every classic I could think of.

"I've missed our chats! Where've you been?" I asked leaving Solomon in the playpen with his sister as I walked around the counter to greet him properly.

"Traveling," he said with a smile. "And you definitely have my attention with the promise of poetry," he said with a wink.

I heard a giggle, much nearer than it should have been and looked down by my feet to see Solomon sitting there looking at me with a smile.

"How did you get here, mister?" I asked, partially kidding, partially in disbelief. "I thought I left you in the playpen." I leaned down to pick him up and put him on my hip, "I swear I'm losing my marbles with these two," I joked to Davenport. He was giving Solomon a strange look that disappeared almost before I could recognize it as such.

"Yes, well, I'm sure you must be tired with the two of them so mobile now," he said smiling back at me.

"Am I ever," I agreed, "Well, don't let me keep you!" I said, walking back behind the counter with Solomon and placing him back in his playpen and closing the gate, wondering if I'd only imagined putting him there the first time.

Simon POV

I came in to relieve Allison of her shift behind the counter so she could go eat before starting her shift with me, as always. It was an hour I had alone with the twins a few days a week and I usually found myself enjoying it. They were usually up from their nap and only wanted to explore. I'd sit with them and play a little in the open area of the bookstore since it was slow, letting them crawl around. Though the past few weeks had been strained to say the least, I still enjoyed my time with the twins and was grateful Alice hadn't decided to block me from them, though honestly it was probably because she had no other options besides Grams for help with them. She'd still been avoiding me surprisingly well, though to be fair, I was avoiding her too; which is why it was so surprising when she approached me as I arrived.

"I just thought I should let you know I think something is wrong with the playpen latch. Solomon got out earlier when my back was turned," she warned not meeting my eyes and also not waiting for a response as she went upstairs to make herself lunch.

I shrugged off the warning, said hello to Mr. Davenport who was at the poetry section and went over to the playpen. Ellie started babbling excitedly as I walked over so I, of course, said hello and picked her up while her brother didn't pay me much mind, too intent on the giraffe print block in his hands. After a spell, I turned around to put Ellie back in the playpen with her brother only to find Solomon sitting at the bottom of the stairs where Alice had just exited, playing with the shag rug on the ground. I immediately set Ellie down in the playpen and grabbed Solomon. "How did you manage this, Houdini?" I said teasingly, but could feel how my heart had skipped a beat at not seeing Solomon in the pen. Davenport gave Solomon a strange look.

"That's the second time he's done that, today," he said carefully.

"Yeah, we seem to have an escape artist here," I joked somewhat uncomfortably, I could've sworn the gate was closed.

I set Solomon down beside Ellie and then went around to close the latching portion of the the playpen. I carefully closed the playpen latch and then re-hooked it, giving it a small tug to see if it would come open; no dice. I frowned. How the heck had Solomon managed to escape? I must have missed something, maybe I'd left the gate open.

I didn't miss the way Davenport seemed to be studying the twins. "Is something wrong, Mr. Davenport?" I questioned, hoping to turn away his attention from the incident.

He looked up at me and seemed to be shaken out of a trance, "Oh, so sorry, no, I'm quite alright. Thank you. Tell Allison I'll be sure to stop by again soon," he said with a wave as he left. I wasn't going to be telling Allison anything but I nodded all the same and went back to work. The twins stayed put the rest of the time making me wonder if I'd imagined the whole thing.


	27. Chapter 27

ISFNE Chapter 27

Eric POV

 _ **I need some help**_ , I heard, ever so faintly. I sat up straighter immediately. She'd actually listened to me. It made me happy beyond words.

 _ **I was starting to think I wouldn't hear from you at all,**_ I responded. _**What kind of help? It must be serious if you're contacting me.**_

 _ **Well…they keep getting out. I'm worried sick that they're going to hurt themselves. It's only when my back is turned, and I have no idea how they manage it. Any insight to offer?**_

I shook my head slightly at myself, she was careful as always, still no slip on girl or boy. I turned my thoughts back to her problem though, _**I'm guessing that the child is crawling by now, so they are likely sparking,**_ I stated.

 _ **And that is…?**_ She asked.

 _ **It's a terminology. They are probably finding their reserves of power. Since they are so young there isn't much to use and they have little to no control over it. However, they can still tap it at random and it will conduct to what they are wanting currently. Hence the term sparking.**_

 _ **But how does that explain how they got out?**_

 _ **Well, where did they get out of? And where did you find them when they did get out?**_

 _ **A playpen, it was latched closed though. And I found them at my feet.**_

I smiled to myself, _**It's obvious then that all they wanted was to be closer to their mother. They likely sparked the latch so they could get to you**_.

I checked her emotional thread at this point, glad to feel a small bit of contentment weave its way into her worry. _**That's…that's kind of sweet. I can't have them getting out all the time though.**_

I laughed, _ **It's a fairly simple solution don't worry. You just need something more complex that would be difficult to spark. Add another latch or a more complicated one and it will likely stop for a while.**_

 _ **A while?**_

 _ **They're only going to get more powerful, Faith, you're going to have to get creative until I can offer my help in person,**_ I said a little grimly.

She was silent for a while but she hadn't disconnected. _**Thank you, I'll keep that in mind,**_ she finally said.

 _ **How about a new word for me about the child?**_ I asked.

 _ **They're trouble**_ , she said, before leaving me alone once again.

Allison POV

I took Eric's advice and got a second latch to put on the playpen that had thankfully stopped Solomon's antics. I was working a solo shift with the twins maybe a week after the incident when Mr. Davenport came into the bookstore.

"Hello!" I said cheerily, "glad to see you back."

"Allison, I have to ask you about something very important," he said approaching the counter directly, a worried look on his face.

"Mr. Davenport? Is something wrong?"

"How long do you have before Simon arrives to join you on shift? This is of the utmost importance, I'm sorry."

"You're scaring me, what's going on?"

"It's about your twins," he said carefully.

"What about them?"

"What did you know about their father?" he asked.

That got my attention. "Quite a bit," I said slowly, "why?"

"Well, Allison, your twins are…oh my, you're going to think I'm a senile old man, dear, but hear me out when I tell you your twins are half vampire."

This was unexpected. Was Davenport merely going on conspiracy? Or was it something more? I looked at him closer everything suddenly falling into place, the wisdom he had, his clothing, his age. He was one of them. How much did he know? I backtracked quickly; nothing, he'd already admitted he knew nothing by thinking I didn't even know anything. It was dangerous but…he could be very helpful. I decided to risk it.

"Yes, I know. I'm more surprised I didn't recognize what you were."

His eyebrows shot up, "Well, you are full of surprises. I sense a very interesting story."

"A very jeopardizing story if I cannot trust you. How close are your ties into the community?" I demanded quietly.

"Practically non-existent. I have a nephew that is active in it but he is full vampire, I'm merely a dhamphir."

"So you recognized the twins as such," I surmised. He nodded. I made my decision. "I will tell you, but not here, not now. Simon comes in too soon."

He nodded again, "Might I invite you to tea tomorrow? We can talk then."

I nodded, "Okay, my shift is done at noon."

"I look forward to it, Allison."

I didn't sleep well that night, even though the twins slept soundly. I tossed and turned worried about whether I'd judged correctly or not on my decision to confide in Davenport.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The next day slogged past before it finally reached noon. I'd left the twins upstairs with Grams, telling her I'd be gone for a few hours after my shift. Thankfully she didn't question. Davenport finally showed up at noon on the dot, and I handed off the bookstore to Simon, who definitely looked like he wanted to question where I was going with Davenport, but with our almost two months of tension he said nothing as I left the store. We went to a coffee shop down the road where Davenport insisted on buying me a drink and a muffin before we found a small table in the corner where we wouldn't be disturbed or overheard.

"So you knew the twins' father?" he prompted.

"Yes," I answered, still unsure of how much I truly wanted to share.

"I always assumed they been a product of…unfortunate circumstances. Vampires tend to indulge themselves and leave a girl saddled with the responsibility of a dhamphir, but they usually alter their memories and steal the child away when the mistake is realized," he explained, "So why do you still have them? Especially if they are powerful enough to be sparking already," he asked curiously.

I took a long sip of my tea and cautiously started, "Because I wasn't a mistake. I was taken as a mate. Though that doesn't lessen the fact at all that the twins were…forced on me."

"I would take your hand in support but I'm very conscious of that cross you're wearing," he responded.

My hand flew to the pendant and I gave him an apologetic look, "I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable. I just-" he shook his head abruptly, cutting me off.

"It's understandable, truly. It's the reason I stayed away so long from the bookstore, but I was so curious to check in on you," he said with a small smile that turned into a confused frown as he took in my answer. "Forgive me, but I must express my shock when you say you were a bride. You mean to say you escaped?"

"I did."

"How has your mate not found you then? Were you not bonded?"

"We were. I don't see what that has to do with it?"

"He'd be able to track you. You'd be tethered, unless the bond was incomplete. Which I'm guessing is the case as you are so young. You can't have reached two decades."

"I'm eighteen," I said quietly, "I do remember something about a part of the bond being incomplete."

"Your timing was everything then, dear girl, you're very lucky," he said seriously, "but how did you ever pull it off?"

"I truly don't know," I said quietly, "but that's why I'm here, in hiding. He's still looking for me and the twins."

"That's the other thing," he said, "by every precedent you shouldn't have twins or be alive."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean that dhamphirs take an incredible toll on a fledgling, let alone a mortal, which you still are. They are also known to kill each other in the womb if the mother's body doesn't just stop supporting one altogether. How did you ever manage to survive having not one but two?"

The shock on my face was very evident, "So he truly wasn't lying," I said faintly. "He saved me, their father, I mean. I don't know how to explain it really," I said looking down into my tea.

"You are quite the enigma, Allison," he said, "even with so much explained it only brings up more questions."

"And are you going to turn me in?" I accused.

"Turn you in? When I'm sympathetic to your cause and the cause of most brides? Never. You deserve your freedom; you've definitely earned it."

"Well, then I have a question for you. How are you only a dhamphir? He told me the twins would turn one day to full blood."

"If they are powerful enough, which they are, not much will stop them, but less powerful ones such as myself would have to do quite a bit to become fledgling material. We usually live out our long lives as happy half-breeds."

"Why aren't they sensitive to my necklace? I thought maybe it was a dhamphir thing but it obviously bothers you."

"It's probably something to do with their age. As they become more powerful holy things will have more of an effect on them."

There was a long pause before I asked my burning question.

"Do you think he'll find me?"

"I can't say. It depends on so many factors, but with the children in the mix, I don't think you can ever truly think you're free. He'll use every resource to find you."

Chloe POV

It had been two full months since New Years and as predicted Simon had done nothing to mend things with Allison. I'd even visited the bookstore on a few occasions when I knew they were working together but had found it almost painful to watch how they avoided each other. Even the others had come full circle on my idea, it seemed the only way to make them put everything out in the open so they could resolve things. At this point, resolution, whether good or bad, needed to happen.

We'd planned between the four of us how the entire thing was going to play out. We knew we wouldn't be able to get them to come together so we'd have to invite them separately, leading to a convoluted plan for the boys to take a trip with a bunch of our friends that we would join that weekend, leaving both Simon and Allison unaware the other would be present. That left Kate and I with the job of making sure Allison would participate. It was going to be difficult – it wasn't really her type of game – but Kate and I were up for the challenge. It was the only possible wrench in the plans. Kyle had convinced his parents to let him use the family cabin, a six-bedroom beauty, perfect for the couples and singles we were inviting. It only got more convoluted from there.

"Next weekend," I said with finality to them. "We have Friday off. Can we make that happen?"

"I'll double check with my parents for the cabin," Kyle said. "God, I hope this works."

"Hey! We all agreed this was the way, the last resort," I defended. "And we've thought through every part of it, all we can do now is set it into motion and pray for the best."

Simon POV

I was thankful for the break the weekend promised. Kyle had invited a group of friends to the family cabin for a weekend to let loose, promising lots of booze and games. The girls were coming up as well but had been delayed with a friend's birthday party they'd already promised to attend; they would join us with a few others later Friday night. As we arrived at the cabin early in order to prepare it for the others I took a deep breath of the fresh air. Maybe this would clear my head from everything that had transpired over the past months.

We cleaned up the bedrooms and the grand living room area and started laying out snacks, throwing drinks in the fridge, and restocking the bar. By the time it was getting dusky, almost everyone had arrived and we were gearing up for the night to start.

"Attention all!" Kyle called out, "As many of you have joined us on different occasions for our undergrad parties, you will recall a certain brilliant game invented by that guy right there," he said pointing at me as a cheer went up. I wasn't sure I liked where this was going. "We have decided to resurrect this game tonight! Start your strategizing, get changed or whatever else. Meet back here to start at ten if you want to play."

People dispersed, chattering excitedly and I quickly made my way over to Kyle. "What are you doing?" I asked harshly. "I thought we'd put that game to rest."

"It's a great party game, Si, plus, look how excited everyone is. You're not obligated to play," he said with a shrug.

"I won't be," I said.

"Fine," he responded, turning to his phone to text. "Chloe says they'll be here soon."

"Did she say anything about the birthday party? Whose was it anyways?"

"Not sure, I didn't bother asking," Kyle said nonchalantly. "Two hours," he reminded with a wink as he left to make more small talk.

"Not playing," I shot back.

Allison POV

Chloe and Kate would be here soon and I was still grabbing my last few things. They had reached out to me to invite me to a weekend party earlier in the week and I'd been ready to decline when Grams had out of nowhere insisted I go and that she would gladly take on the twins for the weekend. When I argued I'd left them with her much too often she reminded me that it'd been two months since I last went out.

"You're only young once, Allison, you should be able to enjoy it as often as you can." She refused to take no for an answer.

So here I was dressing up for the party "casual and layered" as instructed since the cabin could apparently get very warm. I heard the buzzer that alerted the apartment of a visitor and quickly grabbed my overnight bag and rushed over to the nursery.

"Alright, kiddos, here's the deal. You are going to be good and well-behaved for Grams all weekend. Keep the sparking under control," I said pointedly looking at Solomon who gurgled slightly and clapped his hands. "And for goodness sake, nothing new until I get back. I know you guys don't understand a word I'm saying yet but I'm hoping you get the message." I put down my bag and reached down to pick them up one at a time, kissing their cheeks and putting them back down. "I love you both," I said quietly, leaving them to nap.

"Allison! Chloe and Kate are here," Grams said from the top of the stairs, obviously having come up to retrieve me.

"I know, sorry, I was just saying goodbye to Ellie and Solomon," I said apologetically. "And before I forget, I put another bottle of milk in the fridge this morning, just in case."

"Allison, I can always pick up some formula if I run out. But thank you," she said kindly cupping my cheek, "We'll be just fine, it's only two nights."

"Thank you again, Grams," I said, planting a quick kiss on her cheek and going downstairs.

Outside stood Chloe and Kate along with two others I hadn't met before. The first, a guy with darker skin wearing a lavender button-down and tan pants, the second a shorter girl with blonde-brown hair cut above her shoulders wearing an orange tunic dress with a wide belt over black leggings and tan, mid-calf boots.

"Allison, this is Peter and Dana. Peter, Dana, this is Allison," Kate said, jumping to introduce us. "They're driving up with us as well, Peter's car's been having trouble starting."

Peter smiled, offering a hand, which I shook, "Pleasure to meet you. I've heard a lot from these two about you."

"Glowing remarks I hope," I teased slightly, hoping to ease my nerves around this guy. I was always so tense around new people, especially men. _Wonder why,_ I thought to myself cynically.

"Of course," he said with a small laugh, "Can I get your bag for you?" he offered.

"Oh! Well, thanks," I said shrugging it off my shoulder and handing it over.

"Always such a gentleman," Dana said with a smile as I shook her hand and turned to get into the car.

"You're lucky. You've got a good one there," I said with a smile.

"Oh, don't I know it," she said beaming, "you take the side seat, I'll squish next to Pete," she said, sliding in first.

A/N: Happy Halloween :)


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